Direct Selling March 2008

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Karen Phelps, Direct Selling Expert teaches you to "raise the bar" for yourself and your team! To hire Karen for your next event e-mail: Karen@Karenphelps.com

Karen's Monthly Audio Message

Quote for the month: “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained.” Madame Curie

In this Issue:  - "Leadership 101"  - "Time Management Teleseminar" - "Do unto others"

Leadership 101

I believe in Direct Selling there are a lot of people who succeed in spite of their leaders not because of their leaders! It takes determination to continue working in your business if your leader or sponsor is not offering the leadership and support you deserve. If you are one of these individuals I APPLAUD YOU! You are a fighter! You will succeed.

I believe everyone can be a great leader. So then, why are some leaders not as effective as others? Some don't know how to be a good leader because they have never been taught basic leadership skills. Some leaders don't have a "high commitment level". Some leaders really don't want to be a leader but in Direct Selling it's often easy for someone in their down line to bump them up into a leadership level. Or maybe someone in their down line helped moved them into leadership and he or she is still new and learning the business.

If you are someone who has no support from your leader please seek the help and encouragement you deserve in the business. You can either call the leader who is the next level up from your leader or call your company if you do not know who that person is. Then work really hard to become the "type of leader you would like to follow."

Here are a 6 Leadership strategies that will help you become a better leader.

• Discover their goals. As a leader on of my favorite things to do was to find out what the people on my team wanted to accomplish from their Direct Selling business. Then I made sure they wrote their goals down and I helped them to come up with an action plan that would provide the results they are looking for. If my new consultant informs me she would like to earn $250 per week (in the beginning of her business) to help pay for household expenses my job as her leader is to help her reach her goals. I know the company average commission is $125 per party then she will need to hold 2 parties per week in order to reach her $250 per week goal. Show her how to use the Open Date Card and  how to keep her calendar consistent so she is holding 2 parties per week.
• Have Expectations. When someone joins your Direct Selling company they are in essence beginning a new job. Their Direct Selling business may be a part-time venture for them or maybe the new consultant would like to become a business builder and leader. Everyone needs to learn the business! If everyone is going to have a fair chance for success there should be no exceptions. Sorry, but I never ASKED someone if they would like to attend a party to observe me. I never ASKED someone if they would like to attend a training class. Why was it so easy for me to get my new consultants to attend? I asked them during the interview. Before the agreement was signed I would ask, "In order for you to have the greatest success possible you will need to learn the business. You will need to attend a training class and two Observation Parties with me. Can you set aside 2 -3 hours per week for your first 4 weeks for training in your business?" 99.9 percent of the new consultants who joined said YES! I set the bar for them! I WANTED ALL OF MY TEAM TO SUCCEED! But, I also let them know why it was important for them to attend. If you are being a "Wimp" about expectations it's time you stand tall and do what you need to do to help others to become more successful!
• Train Them. Someone needs to train the new recruits joining your team. As a leader I held regular training classes for my team and my Directors and Future Leaders helped with these trainings. As our team grew we began to have weekly training classes and we split our leadership team into groups of 2 and each week a different team of 2 leaders were responsible for the training. We had a written training format and everyone used the training guide. It became a very easy to duplicate system. Soon we had so many leaders that we were having 4 trainings per week all in different areas. Whether you are holding live meetings or teleseminar trainings your Team deserves to be trained. If no one is holding trainings maybe it's time YOU stepped up to the plate. Watch your team SOAR when you do!
• Coach and Mentor. When I really learned the value of coaching and mentoring others in the business I fell in love with the system. But first, you need to know who you are working with. These are the people I worked with on my team. First, all new consultants in my Personal team during their first six weeks in the business. Second, Future leaders who had made a commitment to become a leader and who were actively pursuing their promotion. Notice, I said "who were actively pursuing their promotion." It is not enough for someone to tell you they want to become a leader they need to work on the activities that will move them up, like holding parties and sponsoring new recruits. Third, you will want to work with your down line leaders who are actively working their business.
• Praise and Recognize. Most companies provide recognition for achieving certain sales and or sponsoring levels. As a leader, you can also recognize your team for their achievements. At your monthly meeting make sure you set aside ample time for recognition. Recognize for different areas of sales, parties, sponsoring and achieving new leadership levels. Use certificates, small prizes, flowers. The more you recognize people the more people you will have to recognize!
• Duplicate the Process. Keep doing the same thing over and over again. Month after month, year after year. When you stop doing the activities that helped you become a leader you will eventually become less effective as a leader. Your role as a leader is to duplicate the process with the next new recruit or the next new leader. We should never quit "giving people our best effort."
• Lead by Example. It's much easier to demonstrate to a consultant how to do a party when she actually "watches you do a party." It's easier to have a new consultant attend an opportunity interview with you than it is to explain the process to her. It's been said "the speed of the leader is the speed of the pack." How fast is your pack moving? If you are dragging in the business, chances are your team is also down. If you are leading the way and continually selling, interviewing, sponsoring and coaching your team will do the same! As Zig Ziglar says, "people more attention pay to what you do than what you say!" LEAD BY EXAMPLE!

When you use the simple steps I've outlined above you will find it's very easy to not only promote new leaders but to train new leaders. When someone in your organization becomes a new leader they will not be "frightened of their new responsibilities," they will be excited to begin working with their team. They will not have to "learn to become a leader" because they have already experienced leadership. All your new leaders need to do is the same thing you did with them. Be the type of leader they want to follow!

Do Unto Others

OK, I admit it! Even I let others "get to me" once in awhile! In fact a couple times this week, I've allowed others to alter my mood even after I had my regular hour of exercise and motivation to begin the day. I'm not proud of myself for allowing it to happen. In fact I kept talking to myself the whole time. "Don't worry about it, it's only one person's opinion. No one else feels that way, so don't let it get you down." Of course I decided to "put my big girl panties on and deal with it!"

Why do we get like that? Come on, I know it happens to you too. Our feelings get hurt, someone is not nice to us, often it doesn't take much to send us over the edge. Here's what I do to help bring myself back to reality.

• Give yourself permission to "brood about it" for a maximum of 5 minutes. That's it! Once you've brooded it's over. MOVE ON! One person's opinion. One person's negative attitude. One person's bad mood. Don't let it take control of your hour, day, week or life!
• DON'T RESPOND! If you do you will probably say something you regret. Wow, I wish I could take back every word I said in rebuttal or every word I typed in an email what I didn't mean to say or didn't mean to type but did so in the anger of the moment. What works for me is writing it down to get it off my mind and then "throw it away." Burn it if you have to but don't send it, don't call and give someone "a piece of your mind."
• Do nice things for others. I find the easiest way to get myself back on track after I've had my "pity party" is to do something nice for other people. Instead of just telling the waitress she did a great job you could ask for the restaurant manager and let him or her know. Trust me, it will make someone's day when the boss comes over and says, "by the way, one of your customers told me you are a great waitress. Keep up the good work." A good book to read on this subject is "Random Acts of Kindness."
• Apologize if you are wrong. It's not easy to say, "I'm sorry." Often, it's something that needs to be said. When you apologize you put an end to something and now have a chance to move forward. Sometimes, you might need to apologize even if you feel you were not in the wrong. Oh well, THAT'S LIFE! Do what you need to do to end the uncomfortable situation and move forward. You'll be glad you did.
• Focus on all the positives. Your life is filled with many positives. Sometimes we have to take time to stop to remember them. When something goes wrong or someone says or does something that offends you it's easy to think, "my life sucks. Everything is not going my way, wah, wah, wah...." The whining and complaining continues on and on and on and on. MAKE A LIST ALL THE GREAT THINGS YOU HAVE! I have a wonderful husband who supports me in my business, a family that loves me, two grandchildren I adore, a beautiful home, good friends to have fun with, a job I love! What are the positives in your life? Don't wait! Begin writing them down RIGHT NOW!
• Always take time to be grateful. You'll never feel bad when you thank God for all the joys and blessings in your life. You'll be amazed at how great you will feel after you've told someone "thank you." Thank them for thinking of you, for helping at the meeting, for going above and beyond or just for being a friend. The more grateful you are the more peaceful your life becomes! So, find someone who is near to you right now and say, "Thank You."

This newsletter is copyrighted © March 2008 by Karen Phelps & Phelps Positive Performance  Inc. Reprint permission is granted when the following credit  appears: ©Karen Phelps, 9957 Kingston Ridge, Clarkston, MI 48348  Reprinted with permission from Karen Phelps "Direct Selling Success Newsletter," an Internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription Click Here