Corporate Feature: Distributor Service: The Key Success Element

So why do companies fail to provide good distributor service?

Service extends far beyond the “distributor service” phone team. It begins when an account is first established, and it continues through every transaction that builds the monthly commission. Learn to do the detailed work competently and consistently, and your company will quickly earn the reputation as a superb service-giver.

Most who fail at good service lack the focus and the wherewithal to implement good service systems and disciplines. Those who succeed employ rigorous processes, and they select and develop the best people. It’s a simple formula. Even if a company has hundreds of thousands of distributors and customers, only a finite number of distributor issues will arise. Companies must map out how each of those will be handled. Mapping out these processes will establish fast service; training on those processes will insure competence.

What do distributors want most of all?

Distributors want respect for their time, because all of our lives are very hectic and complex. In addition to fast and competent service, distributors want appreciation for the business they’re developing for the company. At the grassroots level, relationships are enhanced when company employees include sincere expressions of thanks for an order or appreciation for a new enrollment and autoship account. When employees realize that the company thrives and grows because of distributor efforts, they have taken the first step to strengthening the company’s relationship with the field. The results can be staggering for such a small exchange of fast, competent service and expressions of appreciation.

Is loyalty attainable in our industry?

Loyalty is a curious gift that distributors will give to a company that delivers true value. The value equation in the network marketing industry has three elements. First, product quality relative to cost is the quality of the product relative to the distributors’ and customers’ perception of the cost. Second, earnings and income opportunities that are predictable and consistent add to the value equation. Third, service quality is defined by how well the company handles all aspects of distributor contact. While service is the most overlooked element, it is arguably the most precious element of the value equation.

Loyalty and its rewards will follow a company that commits to developing people and processes that are founded in service principles. Companies that are building loyalty have these activities in common:

1. They consistently deliver quality products on time.
2. They deliver commissions accurately and on time, without exception.
3. They give caring, competent, consistent distributor service, with prompt follow-through when contacted with concerns and problems.
4. They operate profitably at all levels, remaining viable for the long run.
5. They preserve their company’s culture that provides the glue to hold the dream together.

At the heart of these activities will always be found the best people working with well-defined, efficient processes on a foundation of passion for serving distributors and each other.

ServiceQuest mentors MLM and party plan companies in retention best practices.