Spotlight on Colleen Finley, a seller with over two decades of experience
We recently caught up virtually with Colleen Finley, who lives outside of Philadelphia. Colleen has been building her business since 1998 and has been using AMI since July 2019. We talked with her about how her business has continued to bring her joy over the last 2+ decades and how it has withstood many technological and economic changes.
Q: What has been your primary focus for your direct sales business?
My direct sales business is my heart and what brings me joy. Customer care has always been my “thing” ever since I started. There’s no reason why more sellers shouldn’t focus on it. By caring for my customers since the beginning, I’ve been able to build great loyalty.
Q: How would you describe how you stay in touch with your customers?
I tend to send text messages because I think they’re more personal. It’s the new phone call. With new customers, I always say, “Be sure to add me to your phone book as [my company name] Colleen.” When people get future texts from me, they’ll know who it’s from.
I never want my customers to ask me: “Hey, are you still selling those products?” And they haven’t needed to because they hear from me and know how to find me.
Q: How has your business adapted to technological changes in the last two decades?
When I started my business in 1998, everything was done by paper. We got personal websites around 2004. Before that, we had a software program for placing orders. You got a CD-ROM in the mail to install the software on your computer. Then you would transfer everything through a modem.
There are a lot of sellers who have been working their businesses for a really long time and don’t want to “do the virtual thing.” The reality is: this is life. In this business, you can only walk alongside people. You can’t push them and you can’t pull them.
Virtual is where people live, especially right now. Those who don’t embrace the changes in technology make me sad because I don’t want them to be left behind.
Q: Some sellers are concerned about connecting to customers during this uncertain time. What advice would you give them?
I always focus on coming from a service perspective. I try to learn about someone’s current challenges so I can suggest ways that the products I sell can help them. When you’re helping people solve their problems, it doesn’t matter what’s happening around them. Everyone wants to help each other out right now. We’re all going a bit stir crazy. When you put the focus on helping people, the sales will come more naturally.
Q: What’s a big lesson you’ve learned through running your direct sales business?
I’ve learned in this business (that’s true for any business!) that no matter what’s going on, if you have a good attitude, you’re going to be okay. We could be in a booming economy and someone could still have a “No one wants to have a party and no one is going to buy from me” attitude that negatively affects their business. You don’t get paid in direct sales for only showing up. You get paid because you work your tail off.
