The biggest common problems among multi-level marketing (MLM) companies start with recruiting and retaining sales representatives. Fortunately for this industry, mobile technology has advanced to new heights, but not every industry is leveraging it to its full potential. Multi-level marketing (or networking marketing) is one business model that can benefit greatly from mobile apps as a recruiting, product sales, marketing and organization tools, both now and in the future.
Take Avon, for instance. Avon is the top grossing MLM company in the world with $11.3 billion in annual sales. Despite their impressive rank, Avon sold its North American division to a private equity firm in March of 2016 due to steady revenue declines.
Most people know Avon as a cosmetics brand their aunt or neighbor pestered their friends about back in the 90s to make some extra cash. But, now that Avon is under new management, their future is bright. The so-called “New Avon” is determined to retain its top-grossing rank, while simultaneously breaking into the millennial market. A technological shift is at the helm of this transition, with their new MLM mobile app being the main driver.
MLM Mobile Apps Combine Benefits
Simply put, network marketing mobile apps are a perfect fit for networking marketing businesses of all kinds. Today, social media offers instant, easy communication between groups and individuals. Similarly, eCommerce stores offer more convenient shopping than ever before. MLM mobile apps combine these two concepts, then stack team management and organization tools on top of them. This recipe empowers MLM sales teams in several ways.
Easy Product Management and Display
Consumer: Typically, both customers and ambassadors can use MLM apps. Customers can view products, descriptions, and pricing. These products may be tied directly to their personal ambassador or displayed like a normal eCommerce app.
Sales: On the sales side, ambassadors can show customers products during face-to-face sales meetings, and have access to even more product details than customers can see on their version of the app. They should also be able to see things like inventory, quotas and personal notes about each product.
Corporate: MLM apps also make product listings a breeze for corporate teams. In the past, network marketing companies relied on clumsy catalogs and paper trails. Now, the eCommerce team can add, remove and update products instantly and remotely.
Promotions and Product Launches
With MLM apps, ambassadors never have to remember which products are on sale or wonder if they’re missing out on recently-launched items. Customers and ambassadors can access product launches and promotions directly on their mobile devices. These updates can also be customized so that they appear one way to sales reps and another to customers. In some cases, promotions appear as sales incentives to field reps, boosting revenue and morale.
Team Management and Sales Goal Tracking
Many MLM companies encourage their ambassadors to recruit others to join the sales team. Effectively recruiting new ambassadors is often how someone works their way up to greater earnings and power within the company. After joining, ambassadors are often divided into teams. This division encourages friendly competition in terms of selling and recruitment. Within a well-made sales app, ambassadors can track their sales goals, keep up with the rest of their team through secure messaging and sales reporting, and view the progress of competing teams.
MLM Apps Can Feature Real-time Reporting and Analytics
Traditionally, keeping up with network marketing reps was difficult. Companies had to rely on ambassadors to send in orders, keep track of fulfillment, and present the entire company in a positive light despite often being their customers only touch point. With MLM mobile apps, the corporate team can view real-time reports and analytics on sales, down to the second. They can also keep track of orders and keep accurate inventory (synced with the warehouse and website), without worrying about unreported sales.
Additionally, the corporate team no longer needs to worry about losing customers as ambassadors come and go. Sure, MLM companies rely on ambassadors to show off their product and make the vast majority of sales, but MLM mobile apps empower customers to keep buying their favorite products, channeling that revenue up the chain even after their representative moves on.
And, the list keeps going! Because mobile apps are fully customizable, network marketing companies are not bound to offering a mobile resource that only meets part of the company’s needs. MLM apps can benefit from endless customizations, from gamification all the way to augmented reality.
7T has experience building mobile apps for large network marketing teams operating in Dallas, Texas and across the United States. We are well-versed in military-grade mobile security, UI/UX design, mobile app monetization and more. If you’re ready to build an MLM mobile app to empower your teams, reach out to us today.
