RENEWAL for Field Leaders

Direct-sales firms need strong field leaders, especially to boost renewals.

Field-sales leaders are vital to the success of direct-sales companies,especially during a sales slump or a renewal program. Sales slumps followed by renewals or attempted renewals are all too common. Research suggests that 100% of direct-sales companies go through a renewal period. The most successful firms traverse multiple sales-renewal episodes.

Some companies renew successfully, and others don’t and go bust, such as Longaberger. Other firms, such as Pampered Chef and Creative Memories, never fully recovered from slumps and remain smaller than their former size.

Typically, direct-sales companies experience a hyper-growth period of three to five years, and then stop growing or contract. How these firms and their field leaders deal with sales declines is central to their future sales volume and results. Renewed sales growth demands quality leadership.

Direct-sales firms need planned, efficient processes for acquiring customers, not only for renewal, but for sales at all phases. Such a system should feature an easily repeatable ...