So, doing my selling online is more covenient. So, how do I increase my sales with online Social Networking?

There is no doubt that nothing can replace the person to person interaction that not only direct selling provides but, life in general. In my experience distributors getting together with follow distributors at home meetings or company events represents the best of direct selling.

However, we have entered into a bold new world when it comes to communication and business building for direct selling. One that is having tremendous impact on the worldwide direct selling community. What is causing all of change? Online Social Networking. There is know doubt that direct selling perfected social networking from a business stand point . It just seems to me that there are some lessons that we could learn from site like MySpace, CyWorld, Facebook, YouTube and DirectSellingLive. After all, these site aren’t going anywhere.

Online Social networking is something we should not fear. After all online social networking sites at their core are nothing more that communications tools. How we as an industry adapt to this new form of communication so it benefits distributors, companies, associations and the industry is our challenge. There is no questions that distributors love being able to make friendship and build their business in the online social networking space. There is also no question that some distributors are saying things they should not be saying on some social sites that put themselves and their company at risk.

For over 100 years direct selling has been able to exercise great control over messaging by its distributors. But, as I say this is a bold new world. Direct Selling companies are experiencing the same kind of nervousness that we as parents face when our kids provide information on sites like MySpace – giving out to much or the wrong information. It is my experience as a creator of DirectSellingLive.com that online social networking can be quite rewarding for direct sellers for their businesses and personal lives if certain safe guards are in place to protect members, company and the industry.

For our industry online social networking is loaded with landmines that can explode on us at anytime as distributors look for more ways to get their message out even as some distributors make product claims, income claims and medical claims . But what is one to do. As I said it is a new bold world.

It is my opinion that online social networking is something as industry we need to embrace and understand today otherwise, we run the risk of being out of step in the market place as the next generation of customer and distributors expects to communicate with their world through online social networking and beyond. Because of this I believe it is critical for our industry that we come to grips with this reality – online social networking is here to stay.

On our site we hear from members every day who are becoming increasingly unhappy that they can not use online social networking to build their business so they have begun looking at those company’s that do encourage this form of communication.

Can online social networking replace that good old person to person interaction? No. But, it’s getting close.

Keeper Catran-Whitney
Founder and CEO DirectSelligLive .com

Too bad that many MLM companies operate in a much different manner. A company that wants you to buy something from them is okay. A company that cons you into buying everything from them at their outrageous price (even with a discount) is not.

My wife used to go to a friend’s direct selling parties. Usually she would come home with a few items and describe how much fun she had being with friends and that new friend. I might have balked at the price of a measuring cup, but loving to cook, came to appreciate how well thought out many direct sales products are.

Imagine how I would feel if my wife came home sold on a life changing dream and remained a stranger to me the rest of my life? I am smiling at the moment that I write this.