(Continued from Part 4)
8-Run Your Parties like a Business
Remember that in-person parties are fun, but online parties can be the secret of your ongoing success in direct sales. Therefore, view them as a real business with the potential to make substantial profits through repeat sales from happy customers.
If there are any customer service issues, follow up promptly with either a return policy (though it will probably not be worth it to have the item sent back to you, or a partial refund of their order, which you can issue from PayPal.
One other thing to keep an eye out for from PayPal is people who pay via their bank accounts. This can take 2 to 5 business days to process the transaction. Do not ship the items until you have the money. Also do not forget to check your PayPal account every day for transactions. Some will be processed directly. Others will need to be accepted manually. You will need to fulfill all orders that are coming in, so be sure that the customer’s name and address are mandatory fields in your PayPal account or your PayDotCom interface.
PayPal is a great way to process transactions online, but if you want to keep track of an extensive catalog of items, use PayDotCom if you can afford their $1 per transaction processing fee on top of PayPal’s percentage. (Hint, offer bundles or gift baskets of lower priced items or buy one, get 1 50% off deals in order to create one larger but still cost-effective price to make the most of the $1 fee.)
If you’re unsure how to host an online party, consider attending a few first yourself. Take notes as you go along about what went well, and what could be improved upon. Then start planning your own party. In this way you can learn as you go without any pressure, and this can help your host your first successful online direct sales party whenever you feel you are ready.
FURTHER READING:
How to Start a Successful Direct Sales Business (Business Basics)
How to Market Your Direct Sales Business Effectively (Marketing Matters)
