The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
Why Your Brand Is Your Greatest Asset in Direct Sales
In this episode, I’m breaking down why building your own brand is the game-changer you need in the direct sales world. If you think your product or company alone will keep your business thriving, it’s time for a reality check. Companies and products change or disappear, but your personal brand? That’s what will keep you in the game, no matter what.
We’ll explore:
- Why depending on your product or company puts your business at risk.
- The difference between being “the product lady” and building a lasting brand.
- Real-life examples of direct sellers losing their income due to company closures—and how you can avoid this.
- The key steps to start building your brand, including discovering your superpower and crafting a message that’s more than just product-focused.
- How sharing personal stories can build trust and loyalty, making customers stick with you, not just the product you sell.
- The importance of consistency and authenticity in creating a brand that people relate to and trust.
If you’ve been on the fence about investing time in building your brand, this is your sign to start now. Let’s make sure your business isn’t just a product, but an extension of who you are.
Resources:
- Connect with me on Instagram @rachelaperry or via email at rachel@rachelaperry.com if you need help finding your superpower or building your brand. Let’s talk!
Hang out with me more!
Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast for direct sellers who are ready to get uncomfortable, build their business and grow a team while changing the face of the direct sales industry. I'm your host, rachel Perry. Join me as we get real and talk about all the things you need to kick some serious direct sales booty From overcoming limiting beliefs to sharing the exact strategies you need to attract the right people who become customers and beg to join your team. I've got you covered, girl. I'm going to be your new BFF when it comes to balancing life and kids while building your direct sales business with poise, peace of mind and, of course, a good set of fake eyelashes. Let's get started. Hey you guys, does anyone remember what that's from? That is dating me so much? I'm not going to tell you because I am the electric company. Do you remember that? That was the 80s y'all.
Speaker 1:Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. I'm your host, rachel Perry, and we're going to dive in to why it's important for you to build a brand. Let's do this. We're going to talk about what and why you need to build a brand Because, guess what? You might think that your products are enough to build a sustainable business. You might think your products are enough for you to leave your nine to five, but here's the truth Products and companies come and go, but your brand is what's going to last. Okay, so today we're going to dive into why this need, why having a personal brand is a game changer for you as a direct seller, and how it can set you apart in an industry where everybody is selling similar things. Okay, now, I know that this is like. I know firsthand that depending on your products alone is risky, because I've seen so many companies close, especially recently, or shift their business models. And, you guys, I can't tell you the number of messages I've had from direct sellers who were saying oh, I literally don't know what to do now. I've lost a whole stream of income. I don't know what to do. Like this was my life. I put so much work and effort into this, into building this business, and it's going to be gone. Or it's gone or it's changed. I'm here today, you guys, to show you how to build something that will last, and I've shared this before so many times. I have such a burning fire within me that I have this need, this passion to tell and to help every direct seller out there build something of their own. It doesn't mean you're going to stop selling your product. It just means let's build something even more. And guess what With that, like spoiler alert, when you build your own brand, more opportunities arise for you. But we're not there yet. We're not there yet. We're going to get there. But I just want you to know this is the best thing for you.
Speaker 1:So many direct sellers think that all they need to succeed is the perfect product or the perfect company or the comp plan or whatever it is. But and I get that, I totally get that and we've all been told like sell that product, build your team, get people on your team. That's what. That's the bottom line. But the truth is that's not the bottom line. The only way to stand out isn't by selling more. It's not by hustling more. It's by building a brand that people connect with trust and love. You are the brand. We need. More of you.
Speaker 1:I was sharing today in my Build your Brand program that I have seen so many like. Sometimes I just go on Instagram or Facebook just to kind of scroll to find direct sellers and see what they're sharing, and so many you guys, so many people are just sharing company images. What, why, why is this still happening? You guys, when you share your company images or images that your upline has created for you and I'm not saying it's bad and I'm not saying you can never do it I'm just saying it doesn't help you stand out. Okay, it really doesn't help you stand out and it doesn't make you like make it's not making helping your brand at all Right.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about why branding matters for you as a direct seller. So your brand is your identity. I've talked about this a lot recently, like so many of us and I was there too as a direct seller, I was like I'm the jewelry lady, rachel Perry, that really pigeonholed me. It put me into a place where that's all I was, and back then, like in 2012, that was okay, but in 2024, it's not okay. We've got to figure out who we are, beyond our how we identify, if we identify as the makeup lady, the skincare lady, the sensi lady, whatever you want to call yourself. So I want you to think about and remember your brand is not tied to a product. It's not tied to a company. Your brand is used so that, when trends change or companies fold or models change, your business is still going to thrive. So think about it. When was the last time you bought something without really caring who was selling it?
Speaker 1:I think it's better to think about, like small businesses, but even larger businesses, like you're not going to go somewhere where people don't like what you stand for. Okay, this might rock a boat, but I'm going to share this example. It doesn't matter where you feel, how you stand, whatever, but I've had some friends who refuse to shop at Hobby Lobby and they refuse to shop at Hobby Lobby because I believe and I'm going to get this wrong, but I think that the owners or something or the company stands behind a cause as far as like birth control goes or as far and do not quote me on any of this because clearly I'm not telling it correctly but there were some things that came out, I guess, where they don't support contraception or something I don't even know. I don't even know truly clearly it doesn't matter to me, but those people refuse to shop at Hobby Lobby why? Because the brand that Hobby Lobby has created doesn't agree with some people. Some people are like not okay with that, so they're not gonna buy from there.
Speaker 1:It really does matter and I would not suggest that you get into politics on your socials. That is not at all what I'm saying. But you wanna show more of you because people buy from people that they know, they like and they trust. My friend does not trust or like or know Hobby Lobby because she doesn't agree with them. But who are you and why are people going to come to you? What is it about you that people are drawn to? Because people buy you, not just the product. People are more likely to buy from someone they relate to and they trust, not just because the product is good. I've heard this. We're living in the antitrust era. People just don't trust people these days. You want to build that trust in the way you build that trust and that loyalty beyond a product is to show more of you. A brand creates customer loyalty because people start to follow you for your insights, for your personality, for your value. I was going to say not just for the product you sell, but y'all, they don't follow you for the product you sell. They follow you because of you, they trust you, they keep coming back to you because they know you, regardless of product you sell. They follow you because of you, they trust you. They keep coming back to you because they know you, regardless of what you're selling and so many of you have switched companies, right, and you've switched products that you sell, and this is case in point people will still buy from you because it's you.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk a little bit about the consequences of not having a brand. We've talked about why it's important to have a brand, but what if you don't have a brand? Well, if you don't have, if you don't build a brand, you're basically leaving your business's future in the hands of your company. So your company and this is nothing like we're not going to get negative with the companies at all, but their bottom line is their company, right, they love hopefully they love their field, you. But in many companies you are not the bottom line. I'm not going to say all, because I do know that there are some companies where I'm sort of blown away by how focused on the field they are and their true passion is to help women and moms get milk on the table, and, if you know, that's a specific company I'm thinking of. But there are so many companies that that's not the bottom line and having no brand means just being another consultant in a sea of consultants, because it means you're always dependent on the next product launch or the next catalog or whatever the company decides to do. And on the off chance that your company shuts down or they decide to change their business model, guess what? You're left starting from scratch because you focus so much on selling the product. But with your personal brand, your audience will follow you. It doesn't matter what you do, it doesn't matter what you share. They're following you. Are you with me? So let's talk about how to start building your brand, and this is something that I talk about a lot these days.
Speaker 1:The first thing you need to do is discover your superpower. What makes you unique beyond your product, and if you're like nothing, I have nothing that's unique. That's not true. It's not true. You need to really figure out, like, what lights you up, what brings you joy? What do people ask for your help with? What could you do? What do you do, without even thinking about it? Right, like, what do you? What? What just happens? Where are you? What are you doing? Okay, when you just they do things very naturally, chances are your superpower is in there and you want to lean into that superpower. For me, my superpower is connecting with other women who are in network marketing. It's empowering them to see their potential. Another one of my superpowers is speaking on stage and connecting with an audience, so connecting is probably my biggest superpower.
Speaker 1:You also want to get clear on your message. So your message is you have a brand message. Okay, it should be about more than your products. It's about the value you bring to your audience. So you're an expert in something. What are you an expert in and what is your message? For example, if you sell Norwex message? For example, if you sell Norwex, your passion and your message might be about helping women or moms create a healthier environment for their families. Here's how I want you to start. I want you to think about what are some of your core values, like, what are some values that you stand for and how can that help your audience? So, like, maybe clean living is something very important to you. That's going to be part of your message.
Speaker 1:Okay, think about personal stories. Okay, sharing personal stories as you build your brand is so relatable and it's so it builds such a trustworthy brand. I talk about my family a lot. I talk about funny situations that happen. I talk about life stories. This is just so much of my brand. People relate to what I share. People are going to be like, oh my gosh, I love your product, but I love the way you understand where I'm coming from even more. They might not say that in so many words, but that's what they're feeling.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then you really want to be consistent. You, you need to be consistent when you're building your brand. If, if you show up differently in different places, that's, that's not consistent. You need to be authentic. Show up as you. Show up as you everywhere. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. Don't pretend to love something when you don't love it. Don't pretend that or think that you need to be someone more than that. You are, because who you are now is exactly who you need to be. It's exactly who you need to be. You don't need to be someone more than that you are, because who you are now is exactly who you need to be. It's exactly who you need to be. You don't need to be anybody else. And we need more of you. Be you across all platforms, and by that I mean, like if you're on social media, across all those platforms, when you send your emails and those emails like who are you and the authentic piece, like I think that's a buzzword we've heard for years now.
Speaker 1:But being authentic is just being okay with who you are. Right, it's sharing some struggles. I had a student reach out to me the other day and she said, rachel, I'm sending more emails out and I'm being a little bit like, more vulnerable and a little bit raw, like honest, do I need to do this every time I send out an email? And I was like no, absolutely not. But it's great that you shared a little bit more like of you, unedited, because people relate to that and they love that and that builds the trust and that builds your brand. But you don't have to do that all the time. But being authentic and authentic doesn't mean being really vulnerable, by the way. Authentic just means being you. It's okay to show up without makeup on. It's okay to show up. We used to joke about this at the tech team. We'd be like it's okay to show up, just make sure you have a bra on. But it's true Like it doesn't matter who you are In the world that we're living in now. What sells is authenticity. It's real. It's not perfect, it's not aesthetically pleasing necessarily. It's like it's real.
Speaker 1:Tell us more of your life, share more of who you are with us. So I really want to encourage you right now just to think about a couple of things, because this was I gave you a lot of information. Think about a couple of things, because this was I gave you a lot of information. So the first thing I want you to do is challenge yourself and think about how do you identify? Do you identify as the blank lady, or are you like I'm Rachel, right? Well, hopefully you don't identify as me, but you know what I'm saying. Like, who are you?
Speaker 1:And let's start leaning more into. You are not the product that you sell, or you are not the company that you are with. You are you Okay? And then I want you to start leaning into like, what is your superpower? Where do you shine? What comes naturally to you? Start thinking about that and think about how you can. What are you an expert in? What is your brand message? What are you sharing? And, guys, don't forget to share your stories. Share stories all the time. That's so powerful and that really does build so much trust and so much loyalty.
Speaker 1:And then remember to be consistent. Consistency is key, so make sure that you are being consistent everywhere, and I don't think I said this yet. I mean I said it, but as a review, like, don't forget to be authentic. That should just be who you are. Just show up as you because you are perfect. Okay, all right, my friends, I love you. Tell me if this resonated with you and I'll see you soon. That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast, but our fun doesn't have to end now. You'll catch me hanging out over on Instagram between episodes and I'd love for you to join me. So hop into my DMs. I promise you're not getting any hey girl messages and I promise I'm not going to be asking you to weirdly buy anything. Send me the message podcast so I can send you my free 90 day action planner, because who doesn't love a good template?