Getting a New Start Off to a Great Start

When you started your business you were excited, maybe a little nervous and hopeful about the opportunities that your new business would bring. Suddenly, you have your first recruit and you have to figure out how to work with them. You might find that your new team member may be feeling a little nervous as well.

Do you remember when you joined the business, how were you trained? What types of things did your upline leader do to help you get started in your business? A good way to ease into leadership and training is to think about the way that you were trained and start there. I can help you fine tune the rest.

Being a leader shouldn’t be scary or overwhelming. It is an exciting time; you’ve got your first recruit! That’s awesome! What’s even better is that you will start getting paid more, and remember that the number one reason people join this business is for the money and financial reward. That means not only will you help get your new recruit started off great and see success, you will see success as well.

So often I see consultants wait to start leading their teams because they say, “my team isn’t big enough.” or “ I don’t know how to lead.” You begin leading the minute you sign your first recruit.

Your soul purpose as a leader is to help build confidence in your new team member, support them with their first parties and be a friend and encourager. When your new team member gets off to a strong start, they are setting the pace for their business.

Ideally, they should start their business with two launch events (parties or mixers) schedule five additional appointments or parties on their calendar and one new team member. Obviously, not every person who joins your team wants to be in the business full-time. There are many who want to be a hobbyist as well. However, by having these things accomplished within the first 30 to 45 days, they are more likely to continue with a successful business.

It is important to have an interview with them when they join so that you can get to know them personally and find out what their goals are for themselves and for their business. 

Being an encourager and establishing a relationship is an important part of building self confidence and excitement for their new business. Instead of hours of training, it’s more important to have quick, consistent contact with your new recruit.

Studies now show that people only want information in bite sized chunks, instead of being given numerous guides and documents to follow. In fact, when we ask individuals why they joined a Direct Sales company and then never did anything with it, their top two answers were, “I signed and then never heard from the person who sponsored me.” They feel abandoned. That’s why consistent, quick communication helps people feel connected.

The next answer was, “I was immediately given access to the company’s back office  and there was so much information that it was overwhelming. I work full time and have three kids and there is no way I will have time to learn everything.”

This is where giving people small pieces of information is best. Make sure you let them know that it will take them months to get through the back office, to take their time, and that you will help them with the most important things they need to know. Focus  on your company’s first three months or 100 day program like the fast start or jump start programs. These are usually designed to help new people achieve success and earn product rewards.

By helping team members with these accomplishments, they’ll most likely recoup the money they invested in their business starter kit and have earned an additional profit. They’ll also achieve the Fast Track/Quick Start  program bonuses offered by most direct selling companies. Accomplishing these goals should help catapult them to a new level in the Compensation Plan.

Helping new team members get off to a great start is important, because a large percentage of people who purchase a business starter kit from a direct selling company do not ever make a single sale or recruit a team member. This is often because they don’t have anyone to guide them to success. By helping your new team member, you are the mentor who guides them.

Your company likely has a “fast start program” that will reward your new recruit for hitting certain sales and/or recruiting targets in the beginning. Focusing on this program during its limited time, typically the first two weeks, 30 days or 90 days, can support your new recruit by providing clear goals and defining what they really need to know and work on now. 

Regardless of what your company calls its fast start program or whether the rewards are cash bonuses, business supplies or products, it has a single goal: to help new recruits experience success right away and provide incentives for them to achieve the program’s benchmarks. Especially when you are new at guiding your new recruits, you can feel confident in first teaching them to follow the fast start and achieve it.