I’m just going to tell it like it is: being a consultant isn’t for everyone.
It can be difficult to get traction, hard to get people to purchase, awkward to run live sales, disheartening to see a lack of progress.
You may feel like no matter what you do, it doesn’t do any good. You may have all this extra inventory that you can’t seem to get rid of. The question then becomes, “Is it worth it? Is it worth the time, money, and energy?”
Yet on the other hand, maybe you’re one of those people who have found great success and love being a consultant. You build meaningful connections, make a decent amount of money. Sure, you have ups and downs, but overall you really enjoy the opportunities being a consultant provides.
The question of “Is it worth it?” is, unfortunately, very subjective. It depends on many things:
- Attitude
- Amount of time you’re willing to sacrifice
- How much work you put in
- Personality
- Circumstances
- Events outside of your control
So there’s no easy answer. But before you make the investment (or if trying to decide whether or not to continue) there are a few questions you can ask yourself:
Am I willing to have the right attitude?
If you are constantly negative, complaining, fearing the worst, and thinking about how bad your circumstances are, direct sales isn’t for you. You will most likely not find great success.
To be successful, you need to determine if you are able and willing to think positively.
Am I willing to invest my time and effort?
You may be going into direct sales thinking it will just be a side job that earns a few extra bucks, and that’s great! Just know that if you don’t put much effort into it, you won’t get much reward.
Direct sales is not something that can easily earn you full time pay for part time work, unless you are able to get to the point at which you’re managing a full and active team. (But it will not be easy to get to that point.)
Am I willing to step outside of my comfort zone?
Doing direct sales will most likely put you in situations that will make you uncomfortable.
Whether that means interacting with angry customers, getting over a fear of doing live sales, reaching out to strangers, or anything else, you may have to be willing do some things you don’t want to do.
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These are just three points to consider when trying to determine if it is worth it for you to start up (or continue in) a direct sales business. The bottom line is that it is possible to be successful, but you will only get out of it what you are willing to put in.
You’ll want to keep your attitudes and expectations in check, roll up your sleeves, and work your heart out if you want to find great success.
