This week, our featured Shop Consultants are successful UnFranchise® Owners Ryan and Sarah Rose Stack. Last Thursday we asked our Facebook audience to comment with questions they would like to ask them about building a successful business. Interested in seeing if they answered your question? Read on!
Market America: What is the best way to approach the following situation? “I have a lot of friends who use other online shopping sites out of convenience, preference, or a combination of the two. When I talk to them about shopping on my portal, I always emphasize that SHOP.COM is better because you get paid to shop, but they still aren’t making the switch. Is there something else I should be doing?”
Ryan Stack: The best way to get people to shop on your portal is by not just telling them to shop on your site, but by telling them stories about your experience shopping on SHOP, like saving $100 on a product and then earning $40 Cashback. It’s these kind of interesting stories that make people interested in becoming a shopper on your site. My suggestion is to buy often from your own portal and get creative with finding the best deals with high IBV and Cashback. Post your stories about finding the best deals on social media, and soon enough people will start asking you how you did that, where did you get that, and how they can get such awesome deals, too!
MA: Do you have any tips for convincing baby boomers to shop online?
Sarah Rose Stack: Baby boomers tend to be very educated consumers. Often times, they are the ones who are going into multiple stores comparing not only prices but also quality. Just like any Preferred Customer, it’s important to talk to them in terms of what’s important to them and in language they can relate to. So basically – break it down for them! Show them how they can do their product research better and faster while also ensuring that they get the best price by using SHOP.COM. Also – this is very important – keep it simple and show them a store or two that they actually shop at!
MA: Can you give us a few of your best recruiting tips?
RS: Always remember that recruiting first begins with prospecting. So many people jump into recruiting right away and end up trying to sell to people rather than creating interest. Our job is to listen, ask questions, learn about people and eventually use our business as a solution to a problem they brought up! You’re on the right track when you stop recruiting and people start to recruit you. Generate interest and curiosity with people you’re in contact with and watch how easy it becomes to recruit!
MA: How influential have events like World Conference and International Convention been on your continued success?
SRS: I can honestly say that had we not made the decision to attend our first big event, I do not believe we would be in business today. Years ago when we first evaluated this business, we were in college, with a college student’s bank account and expecting our first child together. Gary Rogers told us that if we were serious about making this work, we had to go to Miami to get the proper education and foundation. Of course, that seemed impossible at the time given our financial situation, but we found a way for Ryan to carpool to the event. That event was nothing short of life-changing; not only did we get the education that was promised, but we also got something that for many people is “intangible”. We are an Internet business, we are global, and we are partnered with thousands of stores and have thousands of products! This is a lot to comprehend and truly understand what we have our hands on. At the major events, you get to see, touch and feel what we have. This makes an enormous difference in how you build your business.
MA: What’s a common challenge that you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
RS: Underestimating the effort and sacrifice it takes to achieve success as an entrepreneur. In the beginning, I approached our business with the same mindset I did as being a college student, which proved not to be successful. Now we listen to at least one audio per day, attend all of the local training events, associate with as many positive and forward-thinking people as possible, and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
MA: What was your “why” and how have you achieved (or surpassed) your goals related to your why?
RS: Our original goal was to be able to be active parents who could be at home as much as possible to raise our kids. We mapped out our plan, created our daily goals, and got to work. Once we reached our goal, we were able to be active parents in our kids’ lives, and focus on all new goals. I always joke that our new “why” is to be out of the house more!
MA: Sometimes figuring out where to start can be the most challenging part when it comes to achieving our goals. Can you name three small things that an UnFranchise® owner can do every single day to move them closer to their goals?
SRS: The funny thing is that I believe in doing small things every day whether you are new to the business or experienced! The best thing you can do for your business is taking action each and every day because small things really do compound into big results!
1.Talk to one person and learn about them every day. Be interested in how they are doing; ask about how work is going for them, what’s going on with their family, etc. The more you get people talking about these things, the more opportunities you give yourself to book a plan.
2. Create one customer prospect every day. Talk to people! Ask questions! Match a product to a person or a person to a product.
3. Keep it real. We are a people business so don’t try to be someone you’re not. The more authentic you are, the more people will want to engage with you. We all change and grow as we gain experience, but the most important thing is to be real. Have real intentions, tell the truth, care about people, be yourself. As long as you “keep it real”, more people will want to be around you and work with you.
MA: What is the biggest mistake that UnFranchise® owners make when using social media to build their business, and how can they avoid it?
SRS: The biggest mistake I have seen is when someone turns their profiles into a mass advertisement and then expects to see massive results. Stop selling all the time! Stop mass-messaging and soliciting! Instead, post things that convey your lifestyle and share stories that are unique to you. Use social media to go fishing, not hunting. Let people prospect you because of the interesting and engaging content you publish on social media!
We would like to thank Ryan and Sarah Rose for taking the time to speak with us and revealing some of their best business-building tips! To submit a question, keep a close eye on the Market America Facebook page. This Thursday at 12 PM we’ll give you an opportunity to submit questions for next week’s Shop Consultant. Then, read the ma® Blog on Wednesday to see if your question has been answered!
Now it’s your turn: which one of the Stack’s tips do you think will be the most helpful to your UnFranchise® Business and why? Comment your answer below!