Your Role as a Direct Sales Sponsor

Your Role as a Direct Sales Sponsor

Sponsor = A person who is responsible for a person; makes a pledge or promise on behalf of another.

It is critical that each designer understands that they are 100% responsible for their own success and failures. "If it is meant to be, it is up to me". So if your sponsor got you in the business but is no where to be found...first, make sure you are looking in the right places. Next, go to their upline until you find someone willing to invest their time to train and coach you. Don't ever let the reason of why this didn't work out for you to be due to someone else not doing what they should have. 

That being said, when a sponsor recruits a new rep into the business, they are essentially saying that they agree to be your coach to mentor and train you on the fundamentals of how to succeed. They have a sacred obligation to do their part as do you. 

Whether you are full-time, part-time, or just have hobby-time of a few hours each month...the principles of planning and being effective still apply.  I just want each of you to get the most out of your experience here. Since you are all independent business owners..you can do what you want. I am not your boss. Your sponsor is not your boss. We are your partners and will mentor you if you want the help. Please ask your sponsor for any help that you need or direction. They can't read your mind and you can't read theirs.  Frustrations are greatly minimized and success is greatly maximized when we have open communication in all directions. This business often involves building a team from all part of the country and even world. So here are some tips from Party Plan Divas to help you be a better sponsor and leader

Long Distance Leadership and Coaching

Just because you may be miles apart does not mean you cannot still work with your team and build a sisterhood across the miles! Here is how you can increase your attendance on Conference Calls and Webinars -

1. Schedule conference times in the time zone best suited for the highest number of people. Chances are a lot of the people you’re inviting will be scattered throughout all times zones, so find the highest concentration of folks, and set a time most convenient for them. If 90% of your invites are going out to those on the west coast, you won’t get a high turnout if the call is at 8AM eastern.
2. Send an Agenda. Sending the call’s agenda in advance allows the participants to prepare for the specific points you’ll be covering. It also helps you to make sure that you’re not trying to cover more than you can squeeze into your call time. You can attach any relevant documents, presentations, or other visuals to this email as well; remember that it takes about three passes for information to sink in, so rather than ruining the suspense (or attendance) of the call, you’ll actually be improving your productivity.
3. Plan ahead and send reminders. The longer you wait to send out invitations the more likely it will be that people will have other plans. Sending out invitations at least two weeks in advance makes it more likely that people will have the time to attend your conference call. Send them a reminder the morning of the conference in case they have forgotten.
4. Make Your Conferences Interactive. Create PowerPoint presentations and share them with your participants. A little visual stimulation can go a long way.
5. Follow Up. If you stuck to your agenda, the follow-up email should be pretty simple to create. This email is a chance to reiterate your key points and to address task assignments/actionable items. Additional documents and presentations can be sent along with the follow-up email. You might want to ask for feedback on the call as well – just a simple “What can be better next time?” can go a long way, especially if the calls will be frequent

Six Leadership Strategies for Long Distance Coaching

While many of the same practices that are effective with local teams can be applied to long distance teams, some important adaptations need to be made to address the unique challenges faced by teams working together virtually. Leaders facing these challenges should consider these strategies:

Keep all team members in close communication.

Creating a sense of team is a critical success factor for any team, but especially so where members can’t interact with each other directly. Regular communication among all team members is essential to bringing people together and fostering a sense of inclusion, while providing ongoing opportunities for input and influence. In some cases, there may be a core group at one site while other team members are located elsewhere, making it even more important to ensure off-site members don’t feel out of the loop.

Whether using teleconferencing, e-mails, Web meetings, videoconferencing, Facebook, YahooGroups, etc to stay in touch, team members need opportunities to participate, share ideas, and get to know each other regardless of where they are located. This regular contact helps build trust and confidence among team members, despite distance.

Create a collaborative mindset.

Adopt the “all of us is better than one of us” mindset and actively seek to use it in every situation possible within your team. A collaborative mindset brings together the best of competition and cooperation, fostering respect for all team members’ interests, talents, and expertise. It also allows for vigorous discussion of differences while encouraging a focus on mutual gains and shared goals.

Adapt coaching strategies for distance management.

Effective coaching is a challenge for most Leaders, but especially so when they lack the opportunity to observe their team members carrying out tasks and interacting on a regular basis. Nonetheless, coaching is as important, or more so, when the team is dispersed. Leaders of virtual teams need to set individual and group expectations, monitor the team’s progress, and give feedback, just as they would if everyone were sharing the same location.

Celebrate milestones and successes.

Feeling like a team means not just working together but being recognized for team members’ sacrifices and accomplishments. Leaders of virtual teams have a great opportunity to reward the team for high performance, reinforcing the collaborative mindset and the sense of being part of something larger than oneself. Remember – “Reward the group and the group will reward you.”

Dave Nabrotzky, Mialisia Executive National (direct-to-corporate) http://HookedOnMia.com/contact