It’s not uncommon to hear direct sales consultants who are struggling with their business blame it on their area being saturated. That is generally an inaccurate assessment and not the genuine reason their business may be struggling. Let’s look closer.

Every business has different phases or cycles. There are various methodologies – “Forming, Storming, Norming… Early Market, Tornado, Main Street, etc.” There are a number of others and plenty of books and resources on this subject. I encourage you to educate yourself on these cycles as it’ll help you better understand your business. However, for today I just want to address the concept of saturation.

BusinessDictionary.com defines Market Saturation as:

1. Point at which a market is no longer generating new demand for a firm’s products, due to competition, decreased need, obsolescence, or some other factor.

2. Measure of the extent of a product’s sales volume relative to the number of total potential customers, expressed as a percentage. Formula: Sales volume of a product x 100 ÷ Number of total potential customers.

In the case of direct sales consultants, generally what happens is one of two inaccurate analyses.

• They’ll either find out how many consultants are in a particular state. Many companies provide raw numbers each month showing consultant enrollments by state. These numbers reflect number of enrollments, period. They do not tell anyone how many consultants are working their business as a business vs. how many enrolled mainly for personal use. They also do not differentiate the consultants who are not providing great customer service for their customers – which is absolutely mandatory if you are to survive in direct sales.
• The other inaccurate determination that is often made is not based at all on any data but more from hearsay or the number of company logos found on autos in the mall parking lot. It’s too easy to throw in the towel by using the excuse “There are too many consultants in my neighborhood.”  See above – are there really too many? Or does it just appear so? And of those you are seeing, what kind of customer service are they providing their customers?

I have team members who have built a solid, successful direct sales organization by merely being available and accessible. These team members frequently hear from customers that they “used to use the product” but stopped because it was too difficult to obtain, or their consultant never called them back, or it took six weeks or longer to receive the product and a host of other pathetic behaviors that some consultants were projecting.

What to do if your area is saturated?

1. Change your dialog and change your attitude. Your area is NOT saturated. There may or may not be a higher concentration of enrolled consultants. Your area may be more mature than some that have never been exposed to your company, but saturated it is not; so stop saying so and stop believing it to be true.
2. Pay no attention to numbers. Keep your eyes laser focused on your own business. Determine that regardless of other consultants in the area, you will be the best. You will be the most responsive. You will provide incredible customer service. You will be responsive to their needs and wants.
3. It’s also not only acceptable but encouraged that you break out of your own backyard. Technology – email, texting, social media, Skype and even snail mail has afforded us the opportunity to reach customers in all fifty states and across the world.
4. Stop assuming your area is saturated. You know what they say happens if you assume. Enough said.

There will always be more customers to service than there are consultants to fulfill their needs.  Let me repeat that. There will always be more customers to service than there are consultants to fulfill their needs.  Your job is to go find them and service them.

Here’s to success!

About Laurie Ayers

Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Poland, Mexico, Australia, Spain, France, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com.