In Direct Sales – Are You a Recruitment Friendly Company?




Building from within is the fastest and most cost-effective way to grow your organization. Visions of distributors hosting opportunity events, conducting one-on-one interviews, and soliciting 3-way calls with their upline are the stuff that direct sales executives’ dreams are made of. And while these valuable self-motivated individuals exist in every organization, “how to find more of them” is the question on everyone’s mind.

What is the formula that will ignite a wave of sponsorship and infuse your organization with fresh new distributors? Is it a sexy new incentive trip, a “Triple Bonus Points” program, or maybe a two-week recruiting campaign with all the bells and whistles? Maybe. It’s certainly true that direct sellers by nature love a good contest and all the recognition that comes with it. But then again, it might be time to listen to the wise advice we often share with our distributors… “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting!”

Today’s direct sales executives need to dig a little deeper to find new solutions to their recruiting challenge. Don’t get us wrong… we’re not suggesting you eliminate contests and incentives. These are the foundation of your growth strategy and deserve your time, attention, and capital. But maybe there are some new ways you can stimulate new growth from within, ways that get to the heart of the matter and change your distributor’s perspective on sponsorship.

To do this, we must first analyze your distributor lock-ins and barriers to sponsorship. Not surprisingly, through interviews, surveys, and focus groups across the country with distributors representing every possible product or service, the top two barriers to sponsorship were common among all participants.

Let’s start with the winner: the fear of rejection. While the world continues to evolve at breakneck speed, human nature remains constant over the years… we hate being rejected. At the risk of oversimplifying the matter, it’s safe to say that almost all companies are dealing with this barrier to the best of their ability by offering scripts and training on how to approach and interview prospects, encouraging distributors to hone their skills by offering the opportunity again. . over and over again, and offering exciting contests and incentives that inspire distributors to “get over the fear” and ASK, ASK, ASK! So instead of preaching to the choir, let’s take a look at the second fear, the finalist that you may not be addressing so eloquently.

The second barrier to sponsorship is… fear of liability. Countless Distributors have shared that while a new recruit often helps them go the extra mile to earn an exotic trip, win a prize, or receive the recognition they crave, it doesn’t help them once they have the newest team member!

This is what we heard…
* “I’m still not sure what I’m doing…how can I be responsible for helping someone else?”
* “I don’t want to feel like I have to have all the answers or be responsible for their success.”
* “The thought of others depending on me for answers terrifies me!”

No matter how many carrots you throw in, how well you train them to deliver the opportunity, what lies on the other side of “YES” could be what’s stopping them from growing your organization. The “responsibility” they feel to train, support, and mentor new team members after they join could be what’s holding them back.

Recognizing that distributors have a responsibility to train and guide their team and be rewarded for their efforts, there are still some steps you can take to reduce distributors’ fear of liability. Let’s see how your business measures up.

Check those that apply…

* We address the “fear of liability” in our training material and newsletters and clarify your role as a sponsor in accordance with our program.

* We offer comprehensive training that addresses various learning styles, including a detailed and indexed Dealer’s Manual (for detailed-style learners), a variety of audio training tapes and CDs (for hearing learners on the go), Video Demonstrations (for visual and kinesthetic learners who like to “see and do”).

* We share the responsibility to train by offering regular corporate trainings through conference calls, video broadcasts and satellite events.

* We recognize the importance of the “coaching relationship” and offer company-wide training on the latest team coaching methods.

How did you do it? Have you adequately addressed the fear of responsibility? Are you offering training that changes your perspective of what a leader and coach really is? Could this be a barrier to sponsorship worth looking into?

Research with distributors from a variety of companies revealed that while some “forward-thinking” companies have devoted time and valuable training resources to the topic of team training, many distributors feel that they are not receiving “quality training” from their uplines.

“The ability to coach someone towards their goals and dreams is a learned behavior that involves specific skills and tools, taken from the practice of professional coaching,” explains Jennie England, director of the Coaching Center.

“By teaching leaders these skills and embedding them into an organization’s culture, companies will begin to see an increase in performance at all levels,” adds England. “With 85% of the top Fortune 500 companies using professional coaching skills within their organizations, doesn’t it make sense that the direct selling industry could benefit as well?”

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