Over the last few years, it’s become apparent, that Direct Sales companies must not only adopt technology, but embrace it as well. The direct sales companies that are using and offering high-end technology are operating at a higher level and making it possible for their sales consultants to reach more people, make more sales and better grow their business.
Some of my favorite newer advances in technologies are those that allow consultants to reach out and make sales through social media like Facebook and Twitter, or functionality that gives the consultant more freedom on what to do with their earnings, giving them the freedom to cash out, retain monies for future purchases or to use for marketing. Tools to help monitor and maintain compliance and to manage social media content from a library of pre-built and approved materials is always an amazing advantage. Leading or prompting consultants on what to do next is also changing the success rates and professionalism of not only the individual, but for the company as well. These are just a few of the areas in which technology is making a huge difference in the industry and why direct sales companies who do not adopt these technologies are getting left behind or going out of business altogether.
Smart technology partners are also making sure that their platforms are mobile and integrate well with other platforms, enabling companies to create great solutions for the salesforce. No one company is doing it all. There are too many features, functions and marketing tools needed for any one company to cover all your needs, so integration ability is key. If a technology platform you are considering doesn’t offer the open APIs to integrate, with robust logging, you should keep looking. Integration and logging, because of the number of solution providers you will ultimately need to integrate with, is that important!
Typically, technology systems can be very expensive. If you are a smaller company, you may not be able to yet afford all the bells and whistles that your consultants will demand, but every company should have technology on its growth roadmap. The more that you can empower and enable your salesforce, the more you give yourself a competitive advantage. Our industry continues to change dramatically and the companies that invest in that technology are setting themselves up for long term success.
