The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
The #1 Mistake Keeping You Invisible in Direct Sales
In today’s episode, Rachel dives into how to move beyond being “just the product lady” and position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche. With market saturation, distrust, and noise at an all-time high, building trust and standing out is non-negotiable. Rachel walks you through how to shift from product pusher to trusted problem-solver—so you become magnetic to your ideal audience.
Key Points Covered:
- Why blending in as “the candle lady” or “the skincare lady” is holding you back.
- The real meaning of being the go-to person in your niche.
- How to identify your customer’s actual problem (hint: it’s deeper than skincare or home fragrance).
- Why the market is noisy (AI, influencers, saturation) and how you can still break through.
- The rise of personal branding and why your company ≠ your brand.
- Why consistency (in message, not just posting schedule) builds brand trust and authority.
You are the brand. The products are just one tool in your toolbox. When you focus on solving real problems, you stop blending in and start becoming magnetic.
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. Hello, my beautiful friends, welcome back to another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. You know who I am. I'm Rachel, and today we are going to dive in to something that I think isn't talked about a lot, and that is how you can become the go-to right in your industry with what you sell. We're told a lot like you need to be that person, you need to stand out, but we don't talk about how right. So let's start with this. If you're just the candle lady or skincare lady or jewelry lady, you're blending in with hundreds, if not thousands, of others, but when you become the go-to expert for a specific person with a specific problem, that's when people stop the scrolling and start the buying. In 2025, I think building trust and standing out requires moving from just and honestly. I think that we did this long before 2025, but I do think that we are in more of a distrust era, and so I think that it's so important for you to build that trust and stand out, and the way you do that is to become more than just you know the jewelry lady or whatever. You become a problem solver. So to be the go-to person you want people to be like oh my gosh, like you have this problem, I know exactly who you need to go to.
Speaker 1:It's not necessarily just to buy the products. It's because you are offering solutions. So what does being the go-to actually mean? Well, it's not just about knowing the products that you sell inside and out. It's about being known for a specific problem, for a specific audience. For example, instead of saying I sell Scentsy or I sell wax and warmers, you might say I help moms of toddlers create peaceful, clutter-free homes. Or maybe you sell skincare and one of your top products is like an anti-aging serum. So instead of saying I sell skincare or I sell skincare infused makeup or whatever you might say, I help women 40 and over feel confident in their skin. Right, see, people trust and remember the person who understands them, not just someone who shares the specials, the flash sales and is like a product pusher. No, they trust and remember the person who truly understands them.
Speaker 1:And I've talked about this before. There's nothing like feeling seen right when someone shares something on social media, a problem that they've overcome, and you're like, oh my gosh, I have that problem. Like, yes, I see you. Oh my gosh, yes, has that ever happened to you? I know it has. That is called speaking to your ideal person, really tapping into the problems and being a problem solver for that specific problem with that specific audience.
Speaker 1:So I want you to think about this for a second what's the real problem your customer has? And then we can go to like how does your product or you help solve that? But really, what is the problem that your customer has? Is it that they don't feel confident in their skin? Or maybe they have like a really messy or not even messy, but just cluttered house, or maybe it's that they are aging and they don't feel good anymore, like there's something that just isn't the same Now. Their kids are teenagers and they're just not feeling great. Is it that person? Who is the person that you're talking to? What are some? What are some problems that she has? And as far as those problems like how are they solved it's really important to think about it from a bigger like.
Speaker 1:I always say, niche down, niche down, niche down. But then I also want you to get macro for a little bit, like what are the problems? Because here's the thing truly, in 2025, if you don't know what problem your customer has, you're going to get lost and you're going to fall behind. You can lean into your product and your company for only so long. You're going to reach an end with that. Yes, there are loyal customers who come back again and again and again or who are doing subscriptions monthly, but we need to start leaning into, remember, creating that brand, and part of that brand is knowing what problem your customer has and how you solve it.
Speaker 1:So I think one of the or a couple of reasons why this is an absolute non-negotiable in 2025 is because saturation is real, and I hate hearing that I do. I hate it when people are like, oh well, it's a saturated market, blah, blah, blah, blah. The reason I hate that is because I think that's easily used as an excuse oh well, I can't do it because it's saturated. Or, of course, it's going to be hard because it's saturated. Or the reason my sales are stuck in right now is because it's saturated. But yes, saturation is real. Ai is real, ads are real. Influencers have made the markets very noisy. It's very noisy out there, right, but guess what? That doesn't mean you can't be successful, and that's why we've got to come back to that problem.
Speaker 1:What is the real problem your customer has and how do you solve that? Here's the thing. People need to know how you can help them right away. Like we can't have this, this leading up to it. Let me tell you about my products. Let me tell you about my company.
Speaker 1:No, listen, the rise of personal brands is here. Buyers want to connect with humans, not corporations. Your company is your company. It is not you I want you to think about. How can you bring more humanity to what you do? How can we build this brand of yours? What is it again? What are the problems that you solve and how do you solve them and how can you lean into that?
Speaker 1:Let's think about it, like if you have a problem that someone has, let's go back to that toddler moms living in a cluttered home and they just they feel very sort of overwhelmed and just just a mess right now. What are some ways? Yes, you might have products that solve that, but what are some other ways that people can solve those problems right? Like can you give them tools on not actual physical tools but like can you teach them different strategies on how to declutter? What are some different things that you can do? Okay, think about it from that perspective, because I think when you are able to lean into all the ways you can solve this problem, that gives you more credibility. It gives you so much more credibility because they realize, oh, she's not just selling a product here, she's actually a solution provider. Right, she's giving me all the ways that I can solve this problem. So I really want you to think about that, and that's this branding piece that we're talking about. So I just want you to think about that.
Speaker 1:In order for you to stand out, you're going to have to really connect with the people and you're going to really need to lean into solving this problem for them in all the ways. So if you're struggling and you're like I don't know what the problem is that my people have, I'm going to have you take a, take a pause and then we need to really define who you, who your person, is like, who, who are you helping? And then what is their, their pain point or problem? So when we go to get really specific in who we are serving, it gets a little bit easier to figure out what their problem is, because if you're just like I, just help women look prettier, what is the problem? Well, we need to get way more specific than just women there, right?
Speaker 1:So when I was in direct sales, like when I was selling my product, I was really leaning into moms of young kids, busy moms of young kids, and I really hesitate nowadays to use the word busy. I think we need to get even more specific because I think the word busy is overused. This was back in, like you know, 2008. But I think the idea is that the overcommitted mom, right, the mom who just literally has no time to take care of herself and I would help that person, that woman, feel better about herself and feel less frumpy just by adding a pair of earrings or just by adding a couple of necklaces or putting on some bracelets. That's the problem that I solved, not that they didn't know how to wear jewelry, it was that they just felt frumpy. They didn't have time to take care of themselves, because with that, I could share the jewelry, but I could also give them some self-care tips. I could also give them ways to become less committed.
Speaker 1:Right, like it all ties in together, because when you do that, you're then able to really build your brand. And that, my friends, when you can build your brand, that positions you as the go-to person, as the expert, and the way you do that is by sharing personal stories Relate to them. Right, chances are. The problem that you're solving is one that you have struggled with yourself, so you have stories behind that, stories to tell. Maybe you have tips or advice on things that go beyond the products, right, like I was talking about, I mean lifestyle, mindset, habits.
Speaker 1:You can also create reels or stories or posts that are tied to the problem, but they're not just your products. So, for example, let's say, you sell Norwex and so you. I know you guys have clean skincare and you have clean, like household products. But let's take, let's zoom out a little bit, and so let's talk about just toxins in the environment. Right, maybe you have tips on how to avoid pesticides, right?
Speaker 1:Like, okay, one of the problems is that, in fact, I saw an influencer who sells clean beauty makeup. She has young children and she's pregnant and she was talking about pesticides and how she's frustrated because the neighborhood that they live in, with the HOA, they have this rule, I think, or they're encouraged to use certain pesticides because you know no weeds and she's uncomfortable with that. Because her platform is to reduce the toxins in your life and she shares all the things. That's the story that's connecting with her people. And she shares all the things. That's a story that's connecting with her people. Right, that's giving more education around, like talking about the different options and even just sharing her story, as she's like, maybe she doesn't have a solution to that yet, but that she relate, like her people will relate to her because they're in that same sort of world where they're like yes, I also wanna reduce the toxins that my children are exposed to. So that creates more of a brand.
Speaker 1:So you sell clean household products and clean skincare, but your brand is more about healthy living. Also, I want you to think about consistency, and I know we hear that word so often and for people who struggle with consistency, hi, it's me. I want to encourage you because consistency doesn't have to be crazy, it doesn't have to be posting twice a day, every day. Really. What it is is it's showing up with the same message. You're not talking about like removing toxins from various places and then talking about a cluttered home and then talking about how to get rid of wrinkles, like that's. That's not consistent, right. But if you are like that example that I was giving you of the influencer who is just like healthier living, that makes more sense and people then begin to think of you when they need a solution in that area.
Speaker 1:So it's not just the products that you sell, it's the bigger, the bigger picture, because here's the thing you are going to be showing authority without being salesy. You can say things like here's how my clients use this cloth to reduce toxins in their home. You can use that. You can still sell your products, but already you've built a brand where there's authority there, and so people are more willing to listen. So let's wrap this up your product isn't your brand. Your company isn't your brand and you are not your company. Okay, you are your brand, all right, it's you.
Speaker 1:And when you focus on solving a real problem, you stop blending in and you start becoming magnetic. And if you've been with me long enough, you know that creating a magnetic brand is the most important piece. When you are building your businesses, when you are adding another income stream to your life, you need a break. You need to be magnetic, and the way that you are magnetic is to focus on solving the real problems that your ideal person has. So, listen, if you still aren't sure what the problems are that your ideal person has, you need to go back to the drawing board and really do some research. When I say research, I mean like talk to people, talk to your customers, talk to your followers and listen. If you are curious and you're like I definitely need more information on this, I want to know how. How can I build a personal brand? I want you to DM me the word or the term starter kit and I will send you the personal branding starter kit for free. It'll get you started and well on your way to figuring out who you are and how to become the go-to authority.
Speaker 1:You guys. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope this was helpful. I'll be back here next week, clearly, with another episode. I'm so excited because I'll get to tell you how my weekend, my spa weekend, goes. I'm going to the spa with my sister this weekend because it was my 50th birthday last week and what I know, shocking and we're celebrating that, celebrating it all month. So anyway, listen, have an amazing week. I love your faces and I'll see you soon 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 gonna 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?