In direct sales (network marketing), the customer service provided by the corporate office needs to be like no other. On one contact the company could be answering a customer’s basic initial inquiry (who are you or how does your product work?); the next contact could be an explanation of the intricate details of the compensation and genealogy plan to the company’s top distributor. It is critical that companies using the direct selling model understand the differences and great opportunity that exist in the wide range of customer service.
As you can see in the Direct Sales Customer Service Spectrum, a person falls into one of the six major categories (staying high level here – there are many more sub categories in the spectrum). Each category has typical questions and services unique to where the person is on the spectrum – and each service interaction should be very different, based on the person’s category. The great goal of successful direct selling companies is to provide service and take action to motivate each person to move a step in the direction from A to Z on the spectrum. (The questions below each category on the spectrum are just one example of the 100s of questions typical of each category.)
Concurrent to this effort, it is critical that the company understands that every interaction (toll free phone call, web site visit, YouTube video, or question posted on social media, etc.) is an opportunity to build or destroy the brand. Everyone on the spectrum is a consumer at heart, but it is the quality of the tailored service he/she receives in their interaction that confirms the value proposition and has the opportunity to inspire them to grow the business. The goal of all direct sellers should be to create an army of raving, lifetime product evangelists. Instance specific, tailored service with a spectrum vision is the method to accomplish this goal.