How often have I celebrated with a team member when she or he recruits new consultants only to find out a month or so later that the newbie fell off the wagon?
I have to shake my head with disappointment when this happens. It’s such a bummer! Can you relate?
If this is a pattern in your business that you’re ready to bust through, it could be time for a little self-reflection about how you’re engaging (or not engaging) your new talent. I’ll bet that with a few tweaks you can get your team humming along again.
3 Aspects to Retaining New Consultants
As a WineShop at Home leader, your job is not only to recruit team members (which is a task in and of itself!) but also to retain them.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a team of committed, hard-working consultants so that you and they can enjoy the tremendous benefits of building a business that has staying power.
To do that, consider these three aspects to keeping your team engaged:
- Adjust your expectations. Understand that everyone has different work styles. Some people will be great at phone calls but struggle at a tasting. Learn to adapt to help each team member in the way they most need your guidance, and be really attentive to what each individual needs in order to move forward effectively.
- Learn to adapt. In all businesses – but especially direct sales – you’ll see many different personalities come out of the woodwork! When you can find ways to be comfortable working with all kinds of people, your team will be very successful. Not everyone you recruit is like you, adjust YOUR style and remember, they are NEW.
- Be generous with your time. One of the most powerful ways I’ve found to connect with consultants is to create an emotional bond with them. Care about how they’re doing, support their efforts moving forward, and be encouraging! Invest in the relationship.
Willingness to Self-Identify
Unfortunately, there is no manual that explains exactly how to adapt to your crowd or be engaging. It requires the desire and the willingness to self-identify. Are you willing to invest time and energy into your team so everyone can flourish? If the answer is ‘yes,’ you’re way ahead of the game.
You must actively choose to make emotional deposits with every person on your team. If you view them solely as a source to bring in numbers… the moment a roadblock pops up, believe me, they’re outta there!
Here are some ways to make emotional deposits with your team members:
- Foster friendships with them
- Be helpful when they’re working on their business
- Always remain a source of guidance and encouragement
These emotional deposits build commitment and loyalty. They also create an environment that’s really worth it for team members to stick around, which will create better results in your business! Most of your team won’t want the same things from the business you do but they want to be IN the business WITH you!
Do you have any ideas on building a strong team with WineShop at Home? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment area, below!