How do you recruit VDIs?

Why recruit VDIs ?

Before answering the question "How do I recruit VDIs?", we need to look at the various reasons for doing so. Recruiting VDIs is interesting for several reasons.

• Career development

Some VDIs feel the need to diversify their assignments after devoting a certain amount of time to sales. By recruiting a VDI, you get to experience a completely different facet of the sales sector and develop new professional skills, particularly managerial ones. Building and managing a team is ideal for ambitious people who want to develop their careers.

• Contribute to the company's development

When you love the brand you work with, you generally enjoy seeing it grow and spreading its values. Recruiting VDIs is a way of contributing to the company's growth in your own way. The more the brand develops, the more the product range diversifies and the more resources are deployed to improve its environmental impact (in the case of Elora).

> Read also : Becoming a good leader

How can you target your recruitment ?

We can now turn our attention to the question of how to recruit VDIs.

The first lever to activate is family and friends. There are always a few people around you who are looking for an additional source of income or who are looking for a new job.

We can then extend this to :

• Former colleagues ;
• Neighbours ;
• Former customers ;
• Leisure companions met at the gym or at an art class ;

There are various possible solutions for contacting the various people identified:

• Informal conversations ;
• Presentation meetings ;
• Cold calling
• Posters and flyers in local shops ;
• Social networks..

In short, there is no shortage of marketing tools and techniques for targeting and disseminating information. Draw up a plan of attack so that you can proceed in an organised fashion.

Responses to objections

A large part of the answer to the question "How do I recruit VDIs? also lies in the way you answer the questions and doubts of the potential VDIs you meet. Quite often, to get through the recruitment process, you need to be able to reassure, encourage and convince. In short, you have to be a good listener.

Below, find out the answers to the obstacles most frequently expressed by people who are interested in home selling but undecided.

1 - She doubts her ability to become a VDI advisor

Doubts about the ability to becoming a fashion consultant will certainly be one of the first objections you encounter. Start by understanding the source of your interviewee's doubts. Is it because she lacks self-confidence, or is it because she doesn't know the business ?

If she has never worked in sales, you can easily reassure her by talking to her abouthome-based ready-to-wear sales training courses. She will never start from scratch and will always be accompanied.

You should also try to get to know her a little better, to find out more about her professional career. Has she worked in a job similar to that of a VDI consultant? If so, don't hesitate to reassure her that she will be perfectly capable of taking on this job in the sales field, given her previous experience.

If the objection to recruitment is linked to a lack of self-confidence, discuss it with her to understand the situation. Then turn the negative into a positive. Here's an example: she thinks she's too discreet and not outgoing enough? Explain to her that she's perfectly willing to listen to customers, put them at ease and invite them to talk. In short, find THE quality (or rather qualities) to highlight in each potential sales assistant.

2 - She has a false image of home selling

Sometimes the VDI business can be misunderstood.

• Is home selling pyramid selling ?

It can be likened to pyramid selling, which calls into question the legality of direct selling. Explain what pyramid selling is (prohibited) and explain the VDI activity (legal). This will make them aware that selling from home as a self-employed person is a genuine, legal and controlled activity.

• Is being a VDI just a hobby ?

Door-to-door selling is sometimes perceived as a "hobby". If your potential recruit tells you that she'd like to have a serious job, so much the better! It means they really want to invest themselves in their business. Show them that vDI is a profession in its own right and that she can turn her passion into a lucrative business.

• The weight of friends and family

The people around her may also have a poor image of home selling and dissuade her from taking the plunge. It's worth talking to her to find out why. In addition, you can schedule a meeting with his family to reassure them and explain to them that being a VDI is a job like any other.

3 - They're afraid they won't be able to develop their market

You will often find yourself faced with a woman who thinks she can't develop a network, or who believes that those around her won't want to take part in her sales. Sit down with her and help her to list all the contacts she may have family, friends, colleagues, gym friends, parents..

Her network may be bigger than she imagines. The more active she is, the wider her network. There are bound to be people around her who are interested in her business. Showing her that she has real networking potential will reassure her and restore her confidence.

If she's afraid of having a restricted network, talk to them about marketing via social networks. There's real potential to be tapped on networks like Instagram and Facebook. On Facebook, tell her that she can join clothing sales groups, chat with other internet users who share her interest in fashion and discover new people interested in VDI. On Instagram, it's more a case of posting photos with the right hashtags, tagging the brand and making engaging stories with the clothing collections.

> Read also : Being a VDI in the digital age: what digital tools should you use ?

If she's not a fan of social networking, you can explain thehostess principle these are women who host private sales in their own homes, using their own networks. This will give her access to a new circle of potential buyers.

However, if your potential recruit tells you that she's really shy, introverted and doesn't like coming into contact with people, it could be because she's not cut out for this job. Explain to her again what the VDI profession consists of and invite her to think about her desire.

4 - She wonders how much time she should devote to her VDI activity

As far as time is concerned, it's up to you to do your homework. Talk to your interviewee and ask her clearly how much time she thinks she can allocate to working as a VDI consultant. Take stock of her daily schedule and you'll quickly see whether her project is feasible or not.

If you think the company can organise itself to sell direct, then explain that it's all a question of organisation and that they will be supported in this if they feel the need. Mail order selling should be a "pleasure" job, i.e. it should not become a constraint. VDI advisers therefore choose the time of their sale.

Tell your future recruit that she can organise sales whenever she likes. Give them concrete examples:

• Weekends ;
• Wednesdays ;
• Evenings.

Anything is possible as long as its network is available to take part in its private sales.

5 - She wants to be reassured about the financial, legal and accounting aspects of VDI

Everything to do with accounting and finance (pay, margins, etc.) for self-employed saleswomen, your role as advisor is very important. Normally, you have already demonstrated thatVDI is a legal profession. You can't tell her that she'll earn a very good living straight away, but you can listen to her and assess whether or not her expectations are achievable.

Start this discussion by talking about your personal experience: how did you get started, what are your goals and results, how do you see yourself in the future? You can also mention other consultants you know who haveearn their living with VDI.

You should also tell them about the sales system of the brand you work for, so that you can be totally transparent and give them complete confidence. There are two possibilities:

- purchase and resale of products at prices set by the saleswoman ;

- an intermediary salesperson between the brand and the buyers, with commission defined by the brand.

What's more, if the person you're talking to already has a job and doesn't want to leave her permanent contract, you can reassure her by explaining that it's possible for her to leave the possibility of combining work as a VDI advisor with your current job. However, certain clauses in their employment contract may prohibit this, so advise them to reread their contract carefully. You can't replace specialist organisations, the best solution is to recommend that she go and see these organisations for the best advice.

As a VDI advisor, the most important thing is toListen to your customer to understand her objections. That's how you'll be able to answer all her questions and reassure her. You'll be more likely to get a positive response to your offer.