Finding Your First Direct Sales Recruit
So you’ve decided you’d like to be a direct sales team leader. Congratulations! Now, it’s time to find your first recruit. This can be an exciting, yet frightening adventure if you’ve never considered recruiting as part of your direct sales business.
Here are some ideas to help you find your very first team member. After that, with a little experience under your belt, recruiting will come a lot easier. That first recruit seems to always be the hardest.
• Ask friends and family. Maybe a relative is just looking for something to do in her spare time, or has been considering starting a home-based business of her own. You’ll never know until you ask!
• Make up recruiting flyers and post them around town. Give details on your compensation program and include a tear-off strip at the bottom so interested people can contact you.
• Post an ad on Craigslist, kijii, GoLSN and similar sites. Can’t beat their free advertising for reaching people in your local area. Be sure to post in the correct category, however, if you don’t want your ad to be removed.
• If you have a prospect who is interested but unsure, invite her to spend a day with you before she decides. Take her to a home party, on a sales call or a delivery, or to post flyers around town. Whatever you do and wherever she goes with you, let her see how much you enjoy the business you’re in. She’ll be much more apt to make a decision the better she understands exactly what it is you do.
• Consider hostesses, especially repeat hostesses, as potential consultants. If someone has booked a show with you – especially more than one show! – they obviously like your products. Being a consultant for your company will help them earn even more products, so sign them up!
• Know someone who hates her job? She’s a prime candidate for a home-based business in direct sales. Talk to her about the flexibility she’ll have in her own business and remind her that starting part-time while she’s still working that job will give her the added benefit of having ready-made customers and hostesses.
• If someone admires your success and compliments you on your business, tell them how they can have the same thing for themselves! What a natural lead-in to recruiting.
• Wear a pin-back button that says, “Own your own business for only $X!” and wear it everywhere you go. People will comment and then you have a perfect opening with someone who is obviously interested in learning more.
• When mentioning your business to others, always mention the business opportunity as well. Yes, sales and shows are great, but finding recruits is another wonderful avenue to added profits.
• Keep in mind that not everyone is suited to direct sales. Some people don’t have the confidence, others don’t simply don’t like to sell. Whatever the reason, expect to hear no at times. Remember, though, that every “no” you hear brings you that much closer to the next “yes!”
• Share your business opportunity every chance you get. Emphasize the benefits of owning a home-based business and being a consultant with your company, and share your enthusiasm for your products. Your excitement will build excitement for your company and products in others.
If you’re serious about moving into leadership, get busy and find team member number one. Take that step and you’ll be on your way to the next level of success in your direct sales career.
What Makes a Good Up Line Leader & How To Be One
You’ve just recruited your first teammate and suddenly you’re a leader. If you do it right – and they do, too- you’ll start making some residual income from your new recruit. But, that’s a long way from here to there. Along with modeling how to run a great business, you’ll be tasked with training and hand-holding for each & every person you take the responsibility of recruiting into your business. Think long and hard about the people you want to work with.
While everyone might deserve a chance to build their own direct sales dream, not everyone has to do it with you. By making sure you enjoy the people you bring into your business you rid yourself of working with
people you don’t like or get along with. Nothing will take the joy out of your business quicker than the “have-to” of working with people you don’t enjoy being around.
ow that we know who we want in our business let’s talk about being a good leader to them. When you become a good leader, people want to work with you and they become good leaders to their future down-line. A win-win for everyone involved.
- A good leader is first and foremost a servant. When you learn to serve others first and put their needs ahead of yours, you will be more successful than if you are out there just for selfish gain. In other words, you will be more successful by helping others become successful.
- A good leader knows how to prioritize. Know what’s most important to get done first, then second, then third and so on.
- A good leader leads by example. Don’t expect your teammates to do what you say if you’re not doing it yourself.
- A good leader sets goals for themselves and their team and helps their teammates reach their goals. Set realistic goals; they need to be high enough to feel a sense of accomplishment and realistic enough to reach.
- A good leader understands there may be times ofrejection, but knows that next “yes” is right around the corner; persevere through the rough times; don’t let one “no” bring you down or stop you from reaching your goals.
- A good leader knows how to overcome obstacles. Be aware of the possible obstacles or objections that might arise regarding the product you are selling and learn how to overcome them.
- A good leader is organized-even if your idea of organization isn’t the same as theirs; a good leader has a system that works for them.
- A good leader is the cheerleader for the team. The leader is the motivator, the positive one, the encourager, and the up-lifter for the team. Be positive, even in down times.
- A good leader knows their products or services being sold. Your recruit should be able to go to you at any time with questions and get answers. If not, find out the answer as quickly and efficiently as possible and get back to them right away with the answer to their question.
- A good leader doesn’t gossip or talk negative about other teammates. Even when negative stuff happens, and it will, always find the positive in it. Help your recruits see the bright side of things.
- A good leader holds sales and awards meetings or learning sessions regularly and consistently. Have a set day, time and meeting place. You recruits rely on these meetings to be encouraged, learn about new products and to bring their potential new recruits to.
- A good leader attends the Annual Conference or Seminar and encourages their team to do the same. The Annual Conference is the best place to be built up, encouraged and motivated!
- A good leader uses and loves the product! Don’t sell something just to make a buck. Know, use and believe in what you’re selling. And don’t recruit
anyone who doesn’t do the same.
There are tons of great leadership “gurus” out there that you can listen to on audio CD, watch on DVD, or read their books. If you’re going to be a great leader, I suggest you attend a leadership conference, get some books on leadership and truly understand what it means to be a great leader. However, even if you just recruited your first teammate, and you’ve never lead anyone before, you can be a great leader now just by applying these principals in your life and leadership now.
