When you can't change your team, change your team….

Great advice from the Success Factory. We're still pretty new but this is great advice to live by!

This is a saying that gets bantered about our industry every once in a while and to a certain extent it is true. Our best sales and recruiting results usually happen from the new blood that comes into our team. When we are in the growth cycle our energy is high and the ripple effect on our organization is very positive. However, there is something to be said about the “old blood” as well.


Many years ago, the founder of our company kicked off a National Convention on this very topic. She talked to us about the difference in the amount of energy it took to service already existing customers vs. the energy expended in finding new customers. AND she was quick to remind us that our very BEST and most valued customers are our TEAM MEMBERS.


I have a couple of friends in the business who seem to be always “changing their team”. They have done this for years and are becoming very weary of the process. I can only imagine! I decided to resource a friend who has been working her direct sales for a quarter of a century. In all my years in party plan, I have never known anyone quite like her. She has a track record of maintaining existing team members longer than anyone I know - the foundation of her organization is rock solid. From that rock solid foundation, she successfully promoted many leaders who, in turn built rock solid foundations of their own based on what was role modeled to them.


Her tips are very much the same as the ones we offer you - however, I would like to summarize them into one email point by point.


Regularly (bi-annually or quarterly) sit down and goal set with team members. Goals must be tangible. Ask team members what reaching this goal will mean in a very concrete way, to them and to their families. How will they feel when they reach this goal? What steps must they take to get there - break the steps into monthly, weekly, even daily activity. You and SHE must write this information down and YOU get permission from HER to remind her of this goal on future coaching calls.


The consultant MUST share these goals with her family. They need to know what's in it for them and what she needs from them as far as support to reach this goal.


Family/Business balance is KEY and YOU are her role-model in this area. Family first…if you are on the phone with a consultant and her husband/kids walk in the door - end the phone call making a plan to call her later. This will help her husband and children know you are all in this together - that you respect their family time.


Do not tolerate conflict within your team. If there is conflict amongst team members, it is imperative that you direct the two consultants in conflict to talk to each other (and not gossip to others) to resolve whatever difficulty is happening. Do NOT allow conflict to poison your team.
These are wonderful points. And please understand - of course you always want to continue to recruit to bring new consultants on board, however - the above points will help you to solidify and work well with the experienced consultants on your team. These team members are golden and should be treated as such.