When working with field leaders, I’m often asked how to sponsor “good” people – ones who aspire to become leaders.  And on occasion, a leader tells me she only talks to people who “prequalify” as a solid prospective consultant. Ouch! I believe, without hesitation, that we can’t tell if someone will be wildly successful. We can have a hunch, for sure. But too many times I’ve worked with new consultants who just needed encouragement and someone who believed in them. What a rush to see them succeed! I would hate to eliminate them from the start. So I always respond by saying, “Sponsor everyone because you never know – you just never know.”

Recently I learned about an informal field test from Shelley Whitmarsh, VP of Sales for SimplyFun. When Shelley was in the field, she and a fellow team leader noticed that Shelley’s team grew proportionately faster so they set out to determine why. Was it personal sponsoring? No – they sponsored about the same number each year. Was it the amount of time they dedicated to building their business? No – that was also roughly the same. Yet when Shelley’s team tripled in size, her friends team doubled.

Here’s what they came up with. When Shelley presented the business opportunity – to everyone – she presented it as just that – a business opportunity. Her friend had a different approach. When she presented the business opportunity – to everyone – she positioned it as a part-time job. That “full-time vs. part-time” mentality worked it’s way through their organization. In Shelley’s team, more aspired to become team leaders, which led to overall team growth. Now, when asked if there is a secret ingredient to sponsoring future leaders, I’ll say, “Sponsor everyone and tell them about the advantages of building a substantial business from the start –because you never know – you just never know.”

.With over 25 years of direct sales experience, Lori develops training packages for start up companies and works with established companies to update sales training and methods.  Lori is an accomplished speaker and specializes in creating presentations tailored to meet each company’s specific needs.

Have you ever said this?  If your company is in the start-up phase, of course you have. If you have a few years under your “direct sales belt”, of course you have.  If your company has been a household name for generations, of course you have. As a sales trainer, I’ve heard those exact words time and time again.

Sponsoring is the lifeline of our business – not only for growth, but just to maintain the norm. So how do you expedite the process? By focusing your time, energy, training and incentives on those who are most likely to get the job done.

Your brand new consultants are great candidates because they can sponsor on enthusiasm alone. Make sure they understand that it’s not unusual to sponsor right off the bat. It’s a “no experience needed” type of skill.

Next, emphasize the financial and personal rewards of becoming a team leader. When you find those who want to be a leader, they will find their team …by sponsoring.

While you’ll want to promote sponsoring across the board, pay particular attention to your new consultants and prospective leaders and your numbers will grow.

image credit storebukkebruse

Lori Moser

Lori Moser built a personal sales organization of thousands, and now helps direct selling companies put the salesforce training in place they need to succeed.  Lori can help your organization by both creating and delivering training that brings results!  For more information, contact her at lori@luceandassociates.com

Social media can be an incredible tool your sales force can use for building and supporting their teams. As you know, an important way to build long-term income in a direct selling business is through recruiting other sellers and supporting them.  We value the leaders who help our companies grow larger, and help more people.  The compensation our companies provide to leaders for building and supporting their teams is the commissions that they earn on their team sales, and this provides more income than a leader can earn through his or her own sales alone.  As a leader’s team becomes larger, however, it can become challenging to meet that team’s needs, while building a personal business at the same time.  Social media can help with this.

Here are some social media tools that can be used for building and supporting a team.

1. Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn: Social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are excellent for finding people that may be interested in your business opportunity.  Now this is not license for consultants to SPAM people.  However, as our leaders share delight in their successes, enthusiasm for their business events, and their love for their customers and team, they will naturally attract others who may want to learn more.Consultants can also use groups on Facebook and LinkedIn that are dedicated to people looking for work, and build relationships/provide valuable content there.  By participating as a relationship-builder and giver in these forums, people who are good prospects for the business opportunity will be interested in learning more.  And don’t forget to use searching tools to specifically identify those people who are interested in your product line!  People who are interested in your products are often your best prospects for the opportunity.
2. Your Blog: A blog is such an incredible tool for a direct sales business.  It is a place where a company and its sales force can provide content of interest to prospective customers, and is your home base for building relationships with people.  A blog is also a valuable tool for team-building.  By providing content that is of value to opportunity-seekers, the author of the blog becomes a trusted resource that attracts people to your business.A separate blog can also be valuable for teams within your organization, providing team information, incentives, links, and a place to ask questions and make comments.  Imagine your leaders being able to provide their teams with articles specifically dedicated to skills the team is currently working on building!  Blogs make it possible for your leaders to provide that content without having to email everyone, worrying about spam blockers, etc.  Your leaders can provide a central location that the team can learn to come to as they need information.  Because all the information is archived on the blog, your leaders can also send team members to specific information as they need it, providing a valuable library of topics that will be of benefit to the entire team for a long time.And because blogs are easy to set up and maintain, they eliminate the need to go to the expense of setting up a personal website for the team.  Instead, your leaders can set up an attractive blog with a few clicks, and provide all the resources their teams need in one place.
3. Groups - A Facebook group can be another valuable tool that leaders can use to support their team members.  Facebook makes it possible to set up “Secret” groups that are not available to the general public.  Team members must be invited by the leader into the secret group, and this provides an excellent forum for team members to learn from and support one another.  As the team gets large, your leaders may feel like they are answering the same questions over and over.  Imagine them being able to send their team members to a central location for the answers!  Leaders can set up a series of frequently asked questions on the discussion board of the group, and add to these as necessary. Team members can also use the group to support one another.  If someone has a question and the leader is not available, she can post her question to the group, and other team members can share what they’ve learned.  The collective wisdom of the team can help your leaders build a stronger team than they ever thought possible!  And social media enables that sharing.

By employing social media tools that your teams can access, and then teaching the team members how to make the best use of those tools, your leaders can be more efficient and effective in their team building.  Plus, team members will develop closer relationships with one another, and that will naturally attract more people to the team.  Social media makes it possible.

Are your leaders using social media to support their teams?  How?  Did you get some ideas from this article?   I’d love to read your ideas in the comments below!