- Small Business
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Business Ideas for Direct Selling.
- Small Business
- Hits: 1460
Say your friend advertises a product he sells (maybe a perfume) to you trying to get you to buy from him. This is what direct selling means. It means selling directly to the customers without having to offer them to retail or wholesale stores.
In this article, we will be discussing different business ideas you can develop and cultivate for direct selling, but first, we will need to understand what direct selling is and why it is important.
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What is direct selling?
Direct selling is a business model that eliminates the mass distribution of your products or services to traditional wholesale or retail stores, making your products and services available to your customers only through your sales representatives or distributors or a registered sales company. Simply put, a direct seller buys products directly from the manufacturing company and sells directly to their customers.
Direct selling can be in the form of online shopping, door-to-door sales, or person-to-person sales. It is generally perfect for any kind of business.
Why direct selling?
Direct selling bridges the gap between you (the product seller) and your potential customers and equally creates a direct and lasting relationship with your potential customers.
Direct sales help you to cut down on overheads (some distribution costs) especially if you are a manufacturing company.
Through direct selling, you as a sales rep or an entrepreneur can make more revenue regardless of whether it is a part-time or full-time business. It all depends on the amount of time and effort you put into the business. The more your effort, the more your earnings.
Based on the form or business idea you choose for direct selling; you remain your boss and can work from home. You work for yourself and don’t have to answer to anyone.
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What business ideas can I use for direct selling?
Direct sales consultant:
If you need a profitable business idea that can help you earn more, then consider becoming a direct sales consultant.
This is one of the work-from-home opportunities within the direct sales industry. You can partner with a company and be an independent consultant who sells directly to its customers.
As a consultant, you can earn income and other benefits, such as free travel and products, simply by marketing the company's products and services. You'll also earn more by hosting programs and
presenting business opportunities to others through online sales, direct marketing, fundraising, and house parties.
To become a direct sales consultant:
First of all, you need to have the ability to keep important information. You must also possess excellent networking skills. Equally, you will need strong negotiation skills.
Proven sales experience. Basic general education and at least a bachelor's degree in marketing, business administration, or other related fields of study.
Direct Selling Blog
This blogging idea is mainly for people who love to write. So, if you have a passion for writing or love to tell stories, direct-selling blogs are a perfect business for you. With a website, you can discuss and educate people about direct sales or tips to be successful and get the most out of sales.
While there are several ways to monetize your blogging business, you don't have to limit yourself to just one. Some of the ways you can make money blogging include:
- Placing an ad on your blog.
- Selling your courses and books.
- Using Google advertising (Google Adsense)
- Affiliate marketing.
Direct sales of cosmetics:
This is a good business opportunity for you if you are interested in entering the beauty industry. The cosmetics business is highly profitable and has several business opportunities that you can explore. An area where you can make money with cosmetics is haircuts.
The service for haircuts is always in demand as people would always like to have different hairstyles. As a stylist, you can provide direct service to your clients, be it coloring, perming, setting textures, cutting, curling, styling, and finishing their hair.
An interesting thing about this business is that you can start from home, have a suitable location, look for special home services, and even go online. For the initial cost, you can start the business with as little as $500 (N210,000) and watch the business grow.
Direct sale of children's books:
Selling children's books is another profitable direct selling business that you can venture into. There are many ways you can run this business and make a profit.
You can adopt a door-to-door sales method by approaching homes and commercial sectors to sell your products. Plus, you can take your business to schools, markets, or any other public center where your customers are located.
Another way to thrive in this business is to sell online. This will require opening a website where you can advertise your books to attract many customers.
Direct sale of underwear:
Starting an underwear business is also one of the profitable direct selling business ideas you can explore. People tend to change their underwear regularly. So, there is always a market for this business.
All you need to be successful in the underwear industry is to provide quality products that meet the specific demands or needs of your customers. Also, you can do this by having a specific location where your customers can find you (a physical location or a website).
Also, you can go from home to the office and other places where you can meet and sell directly to your customers. The advantage of an online store cannot be underestimated when starting an underwear business.
The online store helps you attract many customers in a short amount of time. It also offers great convenience to your customers as they can order the products from the comfort of their homes and receive them at home.
As for the finances, you can start with as little as $400 (N170,000) if you start the business from home. However, you may need start-up capital of up to $3,000 (N1.2 million) or more if you plan on doing this business on a large scale.
You don't need any special skills to run this business, all you need is good customer service, on-time delivery, knowledge of fashion trends, and quality products.
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One good strategy you could use for each of these business ideas, no matter the one you choose is to employ SMS in communications with your customers. You can use these SMS services to keep your customers and potential clients up to date on any new improvements and additions to your business (say a new product or a website). We at SmartSMSSolutions can help you run these services at very affordable prices. Start using SmartSMSSolutions now!