EP361: Live Selling: How to Increase Your Online and In-Person Sales Conversions by Adopting the Strategies of QVC & HSN with Lisa Elizondo

12:06AM Jul 6, 2022

Speakers:

Tracy Matthews

Keywords:

selling

qvc

lisa

people

jewelry

camera

talking

customer

sell

story

bracelet

piece

product

tracy

live

buy

life

feel

necklaces

wear

Well hello everyone. Welcome to the thrive by design Podcast. I'm here today with our head of programs and coaching. Lisa Elizondo Lisa, welcome.

Hi, Tracy. So good to see you. As always,

I'm so excited to have you on here. I can't have we even done a podcast interview together yet?

No, very first time.

For like, a year and a half, and we realized, we've never done a podcast episode together, which is kind of crazy. So I'm going to have you on regularly now, which is silly.

But let's see how this goes first.

I know it's gonna. So Lisa is our how to program she runs our momentum programs, specifically over here at flourish and thrive Academy. And they wanted to at least on the show today, because we originally met back in the day, maybe like 15 years ago. I think we met at the accessories circuit, didn't

we? It was that or JCK. It was one of the shows.

Okay, we don't know. And I was introduced to Lisa randomly because she was on QVC all the time with her watch line, her and her husband's watch the line. And I was trying to pitch QVC and get into QVC and do my own life selling show, which I did. I was on air twice was like one of the best experiences of my life, also a rough experience. But and I'll explain what I mean by that later. And this sort of like a great friendship between Lisa and I. And Lisa went and had kids and kind of stepped back from the industry and reached out to me maybe like two years ago, year and a half ago and was like, hey, you know, I've been seeing what you're doing. And I'm thinking about getting back to working like, Hey, what's going on over at flourish and thrive? And so it was just the right timing. And now yeah, we're working together. And it's been amazing. So that's my backstory of our relationship. Why don't you just share with people a little bit more about your experience in the jewelry industry and where you come from?

Well, my husband and I had a jewelry and watch company. He is still with the company now. And and I just like Tracy said had had taken a step back to be a mom for a few years. So our experience was that you guys could sold the company? Yes, yes, we sold so he's working with the new company. And and I took a step back then but our our company we sold to department stores and and catalogs and small specialty stores, but the majority of our business was home shopping and mostly on QVC. We did expand to global QVC QVC, Germany, UK and also now Hsn. So the majority of my job in the company was really merchandising working with the buyers working with the hosts going on air, my husband did go on most of the time, but I was the second guest. So I was on air and I went through the whole training and experience. But I got to see the full picture while doing it too. Because sometimes I would if he was on air, I could sit in the back room in the greenroom. Tracy, I'm sure you remember this, they had old school computer monitors there, you could see the call volume, you could see what people were calling in about it was it was just a very, it was very exciting to be involved in that type of retail. So that was really where my focus was was working with the TV home shopping side of retail, when it came to merchandising on our selling everything, all of it. And, you know, we did that I was involved in the company for I think 1617 years. And, you know, I learned a lot in the process. It's, it's very different than other retails as you know, Lisa, or as you know, Tracy is very different from the rest of the retail world.

Yeah, it was so fun. I everyone was like you gotta get on QVC you get sell out in an hour, my stuff did not sell out in an hour, it was not the right product for QVC. In fact, my time on QVC was one of the biggest learning lessons, but also one of the things that actually like started to spiral in, move my first company into bankruptcy, which that's a story for another time. I've done a lot of podcast episodes about you know, my fall from the 2008 crisis, kind of like wiping out the company and all that stuff. And but what I do know is that some of the things that I learned on QVC helped me become a better salesperson in person also helped me understand who I was actually selling to and how to talk to those people in a very different way. And so that's what we're really here to talk about right now is how to use basically, lessons from selling live on air and places like QVC and HSN how you can bring that into your own live selling experience. So Lisa, why don't we just kind of talk a little bit more about like, what is life selling? Like how would you describe life selling?

Life selling really is is no different than it If you're standing behind a case in a jewelry shop, or if you're at a market selling your goods, which I know a lot of a lot of our members and a lot of the people I work with, that's how they're selling primarily, it's no different. You're just in front of a camera. And so I think the nerves come up and you aren't talking directly to another human in front of you, which also changes the dynamic. But there's really nothing different. It's what you just said, it's all about knowing who you're talking to, which you have to do in those other situations to what they want to hear what they'll respond to. And doing it from your position of being an expert on your product, and building trust and authenticity. It's all the same things that go into a regular selling, it's just being recorded. So the only thing is that

we get so nervous when a camera flips on.

You know, it's I don't even know how to really describe it. But it's nerve wracking. It's nerve racking that you can't go back and change something. Like that was always the most nerve wracking thing to me about live TV. Like if I say something stupid, it's there, like, you know, I can't go back and edit it and change it. So that's nerve racking. I think we get you know, too in our head, and was like, Oh, don't say something stupid, don't say, you know, instead of just being a little more relaxed. Also, to me, and I hear this from a lot of people I work with, it's hard to watch ourselves. So that feeling of and, and Tracy, I know you're on camera a lot, you know, now and I think you know, when that happens, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. But when you do start, the most terrifying thing is watching yourself on replay, because we pick ourselves apart design it, you know, just like, Oh, why did I do that? I didn't know my face does that. Why am I looking like that? You know, it's just, it's human nature, I guess. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, so those are the two, two biggies that you know, and that's why we just, it's always about going back to that place, like just put yourself I'm just talking to set, I'm just in a conversation. This is nothing more than just being in a conversation.

And you're always your most harshest critic. Yeah, I was laughing so hard. Because this morning, I was like posting a reel or something. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I need to get this thing recorded. And I do not want want to be on camera right now. And then I was holding my phone, you can't see this for listening, recorded question. And I looked down, I was like my neck. Like on a double chin, all the wrinkles on my neck. And I was laughing because I'm like, Oh, if I just hold the camera, the phone back up this way, I look fine. You know, we all can get in our heads and feel weird about how we look and all the things but at the end of the day, it's just about being you and in a different format and being able to talk to who you're actually selling to. Through a camera, right, because in this day and age, I think more than anything now with this reels culture, tick tock culture, live selling virtual trunk shows and streaming your events and stuff like that, you have to get more comfortable doing these things, and being able to do this live selling aspect over social media or on your website, or whatever it is. In fact, I think the pandemic really brought to the table many companies that were all like focused around video selling, I know like three or four, no comments sold is going like super deep into this right now. And if you haven't used comment sold, it's basically just like you comment sold underneath a video or a post or whatever it is, you plug it into your social media channels, and it automatically send someone an invoice and they buy your product. So it's there's so much technology that's coming out now all around life selling that it's just another channel for you to reach people and to be able to make sales without actually having to be in someone's physical presence. And I don't think it's going away. In fact, we our best selling bundle over at flourish and thrive is our virtual trunk shows that sell bundle. And I'll have a link in the show notes, we're probably going to retire it this year. So if you're thinking about grabbing it, make sure you get it now. And it's always been like a winner because well today we're going to be talking about some of the characteristics of showing up on live video that shows you how to like actually map it out and plan it out and get the whole thing organized so that you're ready to go. So Lisa, let's talk first like you know, when we both went through our QVC training or you went through your HSN training and you had to be live on camera and all the things one of the things that was like huge a huge aha for me that and I was already in business for like eight or nine years but this time is like the real reasons why people buy jewelry and so they walked us through this sales training and they're like, Okay, so like when someone's looking at your piece of jewelry or like this piece of jewelry, they would be holding something up. What are they thinking about? that like or like, what are the things that you think is going to make someone buy that? And so I started saying things like, Oh, well, it's like really lightweight and like, on your ears are like, Oh, it's like such a pretty design. And like people were saying, like, oh, this and that, then someone comes up and she's like, nope, nope. And someone's like, it makes you feel sexy. And she's like, that's a little closer, or you feel like a little flirty or like a little bit more stylish when you're pulled together. So one of the first key takeaways that I want you guys to take away is that when you're talking about your product, you need to be thinking through the lens of like, what? What's in it for the people buying this? Like, how is it going to make them feel? And how is it going to really up level their experience of the experience of your jewelry, I guess is the best way to put it like when they wear your your products. Lisa, what do you have to add to that? Because then, then my next question to you is like, how do you? You've done so much live selling on TV, which is like even more nerve racking in a small social media audience? How do you use that in order to speak directly to a customer? Because I kinda want to dive into that.

Yeah, well, I think you know, you're right. It's mostly about how will this make an all us her? And she because we're selling Joyce, that's usually who I was selling to? It's was women. So how will it make her feel and really dive into that, but some other things you can ask that are outside of just, you know, the the characteristics of it, like the metal and all that kind of stuff? It's what will it do for her? Will this make her life better? How will it improve her life? And does she know the details and understand it, that's also a very, very big one. When it comes to jewelry, there's so many variables, there's clasps, there's different types of classes, or stretch bracelets, there's, you know, different types of earring hooks, their sizes, bracelet, sizes, necklace, sizes, all of this stuff they need to know before they make their final decision. And so it's really important to dig into how it will improve their lives and how it will feel. But at the same time, you also have to be giving them the information that goes Yes, it's a stretch bracelet, I can do that I can put it on. And so you know it, this can be really hard this part because a lot of times and I've had this experience I've heard many people are just like it's it's just a bracelet, you know, it's just a bracelet. And and it's hard to sit there and say how well this improves someone's life when we're thinking about it that way. And when I get to that point, I just go back to what makes me buy you know, I'm definitely a you know, I love to study how people buy what makes them buy. And most of that comes from what works on me what gets me to click, you know, yes, pay by now. And if you become more aware of how you make your decisions, it really helps when you get to this part of trying to figure out how your person will connect. So you know, just like you were saying, how will it make her? Yeah, how will make you feel? You know, sexy is a great one will it make her feel proud and special, if she gets compliments on it? You know, those are examples of how something will make someone feel how it will improve her life. You know, if she has confidence wearing it, if she feels sexy wearing it. She'll feel better that day. That's an improvement. And you know, what will it do for her when it comes to jewelry. These are just examples. But you know, it can save her time. If you know these three bracelets, she doesn't have to worry about figuring out what to stack, she just throws them on and walks out the door. So you really do have to dig into it. It can be really difficult. But just go always go back to what you respond to what if you do sell live to people like at shows or stores? You know you have that's all research that you can use, like oh, okay, I remember I was selling it this one time. And these are the questions this is what this woman wanted to know. And then you have that for your presentation. So just be hyper aware of how you shop and if you have experience selling directly to people how they shop. It's invaluable when you get to this thing too

because everyone we were talking earlier about like how we feel weird on camera, but everyone's got their own things about like, what they like about themselves and what they dislike. And I remember a long time ago when I had my A Brenda on the podcast she was she was one of the first people to kind of create longer length necklaces, like layered necklaces because she was like nine months pregnant. She didn't like the way she looked. She was like she felt like she was totally fat and in her 16 inch necklaces just looked terrible on her neck. So she made it she hung something on a chain and people were like, Oh my gosh, I love that. And it's interesting to think like okay, like who like who through the lens of who this customer is like what are some of the things that they like or dislike about themselves? So how can the jewelry enhance that as well? And obviously, you're not going to say like, oh, well, this is for people who have a big side. You know, if you're someone who likes to wear things longer, or you like things like going down more into your decolletage or you feel like, you don't like you don't you get claustrophobic with things around your neck? Because some people do, right? This is like a great piece that, you know, you can adjust it and wear it at multiple lengths or something like that.

Yeah, yeah, there's always a story there. There's always a why there's always something even if it's not, if it's not noticeable right away, and it doesn't always come easy. This part, it really doesn't take some work,

when you're when you're doing live selling, do you recommend that people kind of really clearly identify their avatar? Or who they're selling to?

Yes, definitely. I mean, that's number one for any type of selling. Tracy, you and I talk about that all the time, with with the people we work with that really is the number one foundation of any type of selling, you need to know who you're talking to, and what they want to hear and, and what they're doing. What does their life look like? And how are you going to speak to that? And so, for me, what I ended up doing, because when you do when you're doing something for TV, home shopping, it's it's somewhat surreal, because you you're just going into a room. And yes, you might be in you know, millions of TVs across the country. But you walk into this room, and it's literally just the host and you and there's no camera operator, it's all done somewhere else. So you're just kind of all alone in this room. Yeah, it's so weird. And, and just like when you're going to be setting this up to do on your an Instagram consult, however you're doing it, you don't have anyone directly to talk to. And that was very strange to me. And that was probably my biggest hurdle. And so for me, I would have a picture of my avatar in my head and figured out before, this is who I'm talking to this person right there. And so when I'm staring at the, the host, or I'm staring at the camera, or whoever I'm pointing to, I can just imagine for myself and it sounds a little corny, but it did work for me. Okay, I'm talking to Susie and this is who Suzy is. And this is what Suzy looks like. And just like if you've done any customer work to try to find your your dream client. You know, you get into the nitty gritty What is she like? Maybe she's confident and stylish, maybe, you know, she's into wellness, self care, she is social on Instagram, you know, always looking for ways to grow and become her best self you like kind of dig into what is their life like she's a mom, she's working, you know, whatever it is. And you're gonna do the same thing here. If you're doing it at at home, and just to your to your your camera screen, I would even suggest this is corny. I know. And some people might make fun of it. But I would suggest even finding a picture online of someone who looks like your customer cutting it out, and literally just taping it next to your camera. And if that helps you remember who you're talking to the whole time. And then, you know, once you can get past that, just you're at a dinner party and you're talking to an acquaintance, and you're explaining to them just like anyone if you're at a dinner and somebody says oh, what do you do? Or saw one of your pieces? Oh, what is that? You know, that's the kind of rapport that you're supposed to have when you're selling.

There's two things that I want to mention here. One is storytelling, which I'm going to get back to in a minute. But the other one is like how you're having the conversation because I think one thing that people really need to remember when they're live selling is it on video, you have to bring it like 110% And you would probably wouldn't be like, Oh my gosh, like in like real life. But for some reason, just animating yourself and your expressions just that little bit more when you're on video. Jason lost me all the time. He's like, you're always yelling at your computer.

I learned a long time ago, when I started doing video, that you have to animate yourself in order for just like the normal version of you to actually come across. And so what I would say is like, bring the energy 110% When you're doing wise, live, selling. The other thing that I want to mention here is the power of storytelling. So we've talked a lot about avatar, we talked a lot about like, what are some of the reasons that people are going to buy in a live selling event and like how do you create those conversations in this virtual format, right. So the other thing that I want to mention is that people really connect through stories So as you're planning out your live selling event, whether it's a virtual trunk show or you're going to like literally have a camera streaming, and you're just going to be there conversing with someone and talking about the different pieces and sharing the item numbers, and you know, someone zooming in and out a more professional setup. Either way, I want you to think, like document or think through like maybe five or six stories of different customers, or potential stories, hypothetical stories that you can share about your avatar. And here's what I mean by this, you know, it's like, like, whenever I'm selling something in a conversation with someone else, like I always think, like, how can I relate this back to the person? Or how can I find a connection with a story that would matter to them? So I might, I might, like, if I'm selling an engagement ring on the phone, and we're doing like a video conference, because that's technically like live selling, or even if I was doing this in a digital aspect, I'd be like, Oh, okay, this cuz this is like a millennial. Like customer. And I've helped other millennials to like, what is the story from a previous class customer that they'll find a relation to? So let's say I was talking to someone who wanted an alternative bridal rig. I'd be like, oh, yeah, my customers, Kelly and Tyler in San Francisco. You know, when I worked with him a while ago, you know, one of the things that they were really thinking through is like, How can I design a ring that's going to be that work with my more active lifestyle, because they like hiking, and doing all these things, but also get that delicate aspect, and then I could and I'm like, so then and then I go into the story of like, how my rings are designed in a way that you know, worked for more active lifestyles, I don't ever recommend wearing in engagement ring or wedding band rock climbing or doing a ton of things with your hands. But they are designed in a way that you could they could be worn like from, you know, hiking the mountains of Marin all the way to a nice dinner, like in downtown San Francisco. So think through the lens, like what are they doing? What's their day to day? Like? Like, what are the what are the that kind of helps you get into some of them? Connections are the reasons like Lisa mentioned before, you know, well, this is just a stretch bracelet. But think about all of the busy moms out there. And if you're a busy mom, you get this like busy moms do not have time to really swap out their jewelry, but a lot of them want to look great. I know Megan bone, who is a graduate of our momentum program. What like she came to us because she already had like a really strong like wholesale business, but she wanted to be selling more online. Like one of the things that she really leaned into when she was trying to sell more of her stretchy stack bracelets was thinking like, How can my customers that are like people in North also people in Northern California, because that's where she lives. You know, think through like how they're going to wear these bracelets from day to evening, because like, her whole thing was that she wants, like people who are into yoga, who are into their kids who are also into their career, she wants them to be able to wear the same thing from day to evening. And maybe just add a few pieces without having to completely swap out her entire jewelry collection. So that's just one example of how you can use storytelling in your selling to appeal to, to the people who might be watching who might resonate with one of those stories. And so document like think of your avatar and think of all the different scenarios about how your jewelry is going to make their life simpler, easier. How you might get into a place where like, you know, this is a date and to evening look, or if it's not like this is only like a special occasion piece also talk about that, like, because those things are important. It's not just about versatility. It's about all the things. Lisa, what else would you add to that?

Well, I think you know, anytime you can tell a story, it's it's entertaining and you're selling it's it's good, you know, they have a reason to keep listening. And the other way to do storytelling is also if there is a story behind the design or something really special about it, a special use chose special stones, whatever it is, you know, you can also share that because one of the reasons that the home shopping networks have guests come on because they have a trained professional hosts. The hosts are amazing, could sell everything, anything but they don't so they don't need the experts there they learned at some point that having the expert or the designer, they're boosted sales and the reason is because you're hearing it straight from their mouth. Why was this designed? Why is this special to them? Why do they want to share it with us you're hearing all that and it's very powerful and it's all about connections whether you're telling a story like Tracy where you're seeing something from a previous customer that could help the new customer see themselves in the jewelry or you're telling them you know, this is really special to me my my grandmother loved opals and I decided to do this collection you know to honor her so there's always

like a historical polls and they're energetic. out these or something? Yeah,

yeah, there's always a story there, there's always a way to connect. I will say as much as I as as how important all of that is. We do we are working with customers now with a very short attention span. And I just recently did a training for selling on air and they said, you know that they have figured out that you might only have someone's attention for one minute or less, because even if they have your Instagram live on, they might also have their TV on. And AR might also be, you know, a podcast on and that sounds insane. But we all know, that's how we're living. So your Instagram Live might be on, and she might look at it, but then look over there. So you really have to, before you even turn the camera on, figuring out your stories, figure out your selling points, figure out all the things we've been talking about, and do kind of write out, you know, it doesn't have to be a strict script. But to keep yourself on on path. I mean, I can definitely ramble. And I think once Pete, once the camera comes on, a lot of people tend to ramble, because we have our nerves happening too. So you just want something where you're going to tell the story, you're going to keep it tight. And then you're going to go on to the next feature

to I love that which is so good. So you keep it moving, keep on going get Yeah, get through each of the pieces quickly. Yeah, my stories were way too long for that.

Sometimes it's hard to when you when you have a lot of time.

Like the guys talking over you Sorry,

it can be hard to when you have to fill up time because that's also in our head like, well, I need to talk long enough.

Live selling doesn't just start and end with like an event because you can be live selling all the time. And it doesn't necessarily have to be live on video. These are things these kinds of storytelling aspects. And elements can be used on all sorts of video content, which we know is king. So Lisa, is there anything from like a speaking and selling standpoint that you think is really important that we haven't covered yet?

I think, you know, it all comes down to I mean, we've already talked about connection, which which is the biggest thing, but then second to that is authenticity, authenticity and trust. And what I mean from that is that so people can tend to be told to sell you have to do the hard sell, say say whatever it takes to sell. And what that can lead to is maybe saying something that you're not lying, but maybe isn't the Absolute Truth or, or not the most helpful thing, I guess, an example would be, you know, to make a promise that the piece can't keep, because you're they're looking at you, they should be looking at you as a friend who's helping them make a decision on what they buy. So, you know, you would never want to say this bracelet will fit everybody perfectly, because that's not true. So you can say something like this bracelet will fit up to a seven inch wrist, you know, just fine. Or, you know, we have three sizes. And you know, most likely it will fit most wrist sizes, you're you're helping them because the one thing you don't want is them to get the product and say, well, they promised me this and it doesn't work for me. Every product is not for every person. So you really are coming from a place of friendliness and helpfulness to help them know which piece is for them and which piece will fit in their life. And that's where the trust and the authenticity comes from. Like they can trust everything out of your mouth, you're not going to say something just to sell it to them, you're going to be honest, and you're going to tell them why this works, you're going to tell them the story, you're going to connect with them. And if that's not the right one for them, they're going to trust you when they do see the right one. And the other thing is really getting confident that you are the expert of your product, you are the only one that can sell it like you can and I think it is important to say I'm the expert before you go on air. You know, that's not a word that that we ever say about ourselves, I don't think and it's kind of weird to say but you are like you design that piece you made that piece you picked out all that is yours. No one knows it's like you do and the confidence that comes from that, knowing that no matter what's thrown at you, if it's about these items, you can handle it and you will know the answer. There's there's like confidence there.

Of course it's that's so true. And one of the things went back in the day when I would interview buyers and ask them about like, you know, what do you think it's better because all these students, these designers wanted to get a sales rep and stuff like that and You know, that's still a great play, if you are trying to sell wholesale, and you're at the right point for it, but the store is would always say, usually they'd like I always prefer buying from the designer, because they know the most, they know about their product the most. And they're the best advocate for their brand. And just like selling to a retail store, just like selling to anyone, you're always going to be your best salesperson. Yeah, you just need the confidence to get there, whether it's live selling, or in person or whatever. Right. So I think that that was that's, I kind of want to cap it there. I mean, there's some obvious other things that you might want to consider when you're live selling, which really comes down to, you know, equipment, you want to make sure that your your product and you are lit really well. So it looks good. You want to make sure that you're engaging with the camera, and you're actually looking into the lens, so that so that it looks like you're looking at them. And like when you're actually talking to them. Obviously, if you're looking down at the jewelry or something like that, that's a different case. And you want to just practice, I mean, the first time you do it, you might feel super awkward. But at the end of the day, the more you practice, and the more that you do this, the easier it gets. So I have a question for you. How long did it take before you felt comfortable being on camera with QVC and Hsn?

You know, I You never get well, I never got over the nerves right before. But I think honestly, I think it was probably like the third time, then, you know, you just kind of the first time was nerve racking, I'm sure it was like sweating insanely, but but I think maybe by the third or fourth time, then you're still nervous. And you still want to sell the product because we also have those emotions, too. It's not just you're nervous about being on camera, you want to be successful selling your product. But, you know, then I felt a little more comfortable. I had already done it twice. And I didn't screw anything up. So then after that, you know, I'm just like, okay, I can do this. And also, we all have to remember, if you make a mistake, so what you're like, you're human, no one cares. It's not going to change anything. If anything, we know that people just like seeing realness, from who they're buying from that is what is the most connected, like, that's who I connect to. And I see someone that's being real, and doesn't seem to produce or fake. So just don't overthink it. Practice, practice, practice, and you'll get used to it.

And it makes you think the mistakes also make you human.

Yeah, yeah. And just have fun with it. It should be fun. It's exciting. It's exciting that we have this technology to be able to do it. Now. This is still you know, like fairly new that just anyone can do a virtual trunk show, instead of waiting to go on QVC. So you know, it's just it's really exciting. And just I just say just have fun with it. Yeah.

So Lisa, I'm gonna put you on the spot here. What are you most excited about? That's coming up in momentum over the coming months. This is going to be released in the middle of the summer. Yeah, holiday season.

Yes. Yeah. So I always liked that part. I always like gearing up in the summertime. And into fall gearing up for fourth quarter. I'm a merchandiser, and you know, an item, person and at heart and so I just love all the planning and all of that that goes into what am I gonna promote for the holidays? What items are my best best, my best gift items, I just I love all that stuff. So that's probably what I'm looking forward to the most,

which is awesome. I'm so excited. I'm really excited to help get people prepped and prepared in momentum. We're going to be doing like this holiday sales accelerator cohort inside of the momentum program, which is going to be super fun to help everyone get prepared for the months leading up to the holiday season, which is going to be amazing.

I agree. It's gonna be fun. Lisa, thanks for being here. Thank you, Tracy.