How can I find customers for home sales?

Friends and family: the first circle of door-to-door sales

First of all, the easiest thing to do is to tell your friends and family about your new VDI business. Your network of family and friends is what we call the "1st circle". All you have to do is invite them and ask them to attend your sales meetings.

In principle, your friends and family are happy to share in your success and may even become loyal customers. This is because they trust you and are more likely to buy your products than those of someone they don't know.

Colleagues and acquaintances: the second circle to work on

After close friends and family, the easiest network to approach is that of acquaintances. This is known as the "2nd circle". This network is made up of your colleagues, acquaintances (shopkeepers, neighbours, parents...) and people you often see at sports events or in associations.

Don't hesitate to introduce them to the products you sell and the home shopping concept. Create business cards or flyers to invite them to attend your sales meetings.

Strangers: the third circle to reach

The most difficult network to approach is the so-called "3rd circle". It is very interesting for VDIs because it is made up of unknown people and therefore offers infinite possibilities.

There are several ways of approaching people you don't know:

- Ask shopkeepers for help

You can use the flyers created for your acquaintances and ask shopkeepers (bakers, hairdressers, etc.) to leave them on the counter.

- Expand your network with the network of your friends and family

Everyone you know has their own network. Why not ask them to invite their friends or family to attend your sales meetings.

- Take part in prospecting training courses

The brand you work for may offer you training in prospecting. Don't hesitate to take advantage. At Elora, we train our sales advisers in door-to-door sales techniques:

Discover our training programme

- Using social networks

Social networks have become an essential tool for prospecting.

Create profiles on the networks that work best for home sales: Facebook and Instagram. Follow accounts related to your business, join groups and don't hesitate to comment on posts to get yourself known.

But be careful to be consistent: comment on posts that are really related to your business and talk to people who match your target audience.

- Creating a website

If you can, it's always a good idea to create your own website and get listed on keywords related to home shopping and your sector.

You have two options: you can either create your site yourself because you know how or you've been trained in web marketing, or you can call on a professional in the field to develop a professional website for you and guide you in your web strategy.

Methodology for attracting new customers

Once you've worked out the target audience and the communication tools you need to find new customers, it's time to look at the methodology for increasing your visibility. How can you boost your home sales and how can you be a good home seller who always attracts new customers?

Enthusiasm, organisation and communication are the watchwords of a self-employed home seller who knows how to recruit new customers on a regular basis. Here are the steps to follow for successful prospecting.

• Clear, precise communication for prospecting

You don't need to have studied marketing at length to put in place an effective communication strategy for prospecting. However, whether visual or verbal, communication is an art that cannot be improvised.

Who is it for? Who? What? When? Where? How? And why?

Always make sure that your message answers these questions in your sales meetings, in your blog/website articles, in your social networking posts (Facebook page and LinkedIn profile) or in your videos.

If your work allows, don't hesitate to showcase your products and services in videos. Video is a fantastic tool for attracting prospects.

In the home sales sector, getting to grips with the new digital communication tools is essential if you want to find new customers.

• Enthusiasm and creativity to motivate your prospects

Do you know which door-to-door sales are successful? As well as the products or services on sale, it's also the conviviality and social contact offered by sales meetings that customers are looking for. Tips and tricks on how to use products properly, answers to their questions... give customers this exclusive chance to share all the company's secrets.

Remember that customers want to be pampered. Sales meetings offer customers special moments. To make your prospects feel confident, even before they've attended a door-to-door sales meeting, adopt an enthusiastic tone in your verbal or digital communication.

Don't hesitate to make them a tempting offer: organise an in-home meeting with friends, an exclusive discount on a product, a welcome gift, etc

The strategy for approaching prospects and the way in which you go about it are crucial.

• Meticulous organisation for customer/prospect follow-up

When you're the target of a VDI, there's nothing worse than finding out that the salesperson knows nothing about their customers and prospects.

Knowing how many children a customer has or where they live is key information for a VDI. This information can help to establish a real relationship of trust with the customer.

So don't neglect the time spent building up a customer/prospect contact file, and add to it regularly by including :

- The number of home sales meetings attended

- The type of products or services you are looking for

- Obstacles to be overcome, levers to be activated

- Purchasing habits

If you're passionate about your work as a VDI, you could well become a home sales maestro.

Have you ever thought of creating your own sales team? After prospecting for new customers, find out how to recruit VDIs.