The success of direct selling companies is most often fueled by strong personal relationships: relationships that are built between the direct seller and their independent sales representatives and, in turn, the relationships that are created and sustained between their individual sales reps and their customers. IMN, an e-communications company with over 3,000 accounts globally, helps direct selling companies and their sales representatives to connect with customers in a high-touch, high-tech way. IMN, a thought leader in direct selling e-communications strategies, offers corporate and personal branding solutions that are revolutionizing the way direct sellers and their sales representatives connect and communicate. The IMN Party Pulse email newsletter solution was specifically designed for direct sellers to increase the number of parties they hold, increase sales volume and increase the number of sales representatives recruited into the direct selling businesses. The IMN e-newsletter also allows both the direct selling company and the sales representative to brand their communications in a uniquely personal way.

To WineShop At Home, a direct seller of exclusive artisan wines, headquartered in California’s Napa Valley, a high-quality and consistent brand image and message are critical to its growing reputation as a cutting-edge wine lifestyle business. To the company’s sales representatives, called Wine Consultants, personal relationships are key to building their individual business. The relationships that begin at a Wine Tasting can continue to grow and flourish with ongoing high-touch communications. With IMN the party never ends. The IMN e-newsletter allows the Wine Consultants to extend their relationships beyond their Wine Tastings to create meaningful interaction that keeps their customers coming back for more.

Every month, WineShop At Home creates a well-branded e-newsletter with high value wine lifestyle content that is sent out on behalf of the Wine Consultants, who are able to personally brand the newsletter with their own message and picture. When the e-newsletter arrives in their customers’ inbox it appears to have been sent by the sales Wine Consultant. Research shows that customers are far more likely to open an e-newsletter when it comes from a friend. The IMN e-newsletter also allows the customer to easily click to the Wine Consultant’s personal website where he or she can easily shop for product and learn more about the career opportunity and wine club – further branding the Wine Consultants’ business and bonding the personal relationship.

WineShop At Home’s customer e-newsletter, called The VinNote, was first sent out on May 15, 2008. According to Mark Densmore, WineShop At Home’s Vice President of Information Technology, positive results came in quickly. “At 3:09 that very afternoon, we received an email from a Wine Consultant who said, ‘The VinNote was just delivered to my customers and within half an hour I received a return email from an old friend that I haven’t talked to in a long, long while. Because of the e-newsletter, he’s now interested in doing a Wine Tasting and joining our Wine Club.’” WineShop At Home now has thousands of e-newsletter subscribers and, according to Densmore, the list is growing every day.

Personal branding is also a point of pride for direct selling sales representatives who seek to present themselves to their customers, family and friends in a highly business-like, yet personal way. In the past, sales representatives would often create their own e-newsletters, which took time and energy away from their businesses. Today, with IMN Party Pulse, building personal relationships and a personal brand image has never been easier. The direct selling company also benefits from projecting a consistent brand message and image to customers.

About IMN

IMN, headquartered in Waltham, MA, specializes in e-communications services for sales and distribution networks, enabling direct selling companies to support their field sales organizations with multi-media capable email and e-newsletters, which are designed to drive measurable brand impact and product visibility for the direct selling company, as well as sales and recruits for the sales representative. IMN also provides a comprehensive automated solution for managing all of the content for such collaborative e-marketing programs, freeing sales representatives from the need to create content. IMN serves over 3,000 accounts globally and has been embraced by innovative direct selling companies such as Private Quarters, Gold Canyon, Southern Living At HOME and Homemade Gourmet. It also serves major corporations such as Shell Oil, Wachovia and ING. Additional information can be found at www.imnpartypulse.com or by calling 1-866-964-6397.

• Authentic Personal Branding Concept