Friday, September 30, 2011

Creating Candle People All Over Australia!

A great thing about our business is that so much of it is really done over the phone. Meetings, training, coaching, client calls, hostess coaching, and making sponsoring appointments are all easily done over the good old phone.

Another great thing about our business is that we don’t have any territorial boundaries other than the edges of the country.

Another great thing about our business is that we get together at Regional Meetings, Conferences, Summits, and Incentive Trips with Candle Ladies from all over the country. Our network is vast.

So if you know someone, meet someone, or are introduced to someone who is perfect for this business, but who doesn’t live in your area... that’s perfectly okay.

Sponsor them.

I picture this as two phone calls. The first one to call and offer information. If they want information, post them the 10 Reasons brochure and schedule a follow-up call to discuss it. The second call is the “Latte” appointment. Ask the person questions about their interest. Their motivation. Their fears. Their goals. Their objections. Use the 10 Reasons brochure to address everything they come up with. It’s all in there. Assess their interest and if they want to proceed, book the starter show.

To travel or not to travel... that is the question.

There are pros and cons to travelling to conduct a starter show.

Pros of travelling
  • You get to meet face to face
  • You get to develop a relationship
  • You get to do the kit issue with her in person
  • You get to do her new consultant training in person
  • You get to show your new recruit how YOU do a show
  • You get to travel somewhere new or somewhere you want to travel
  • You get to meet her friends and get them excited about her new business
Cons of travelling
  • You have to pay for the travel expenses (petrol and/or airfare, accommodation, food)
  • You have to find the time to travel
  • You have to organise everything at home while you are away
  • You can’t do parties while your'e away
I contend that you might be better off organising for someone else to do the starter show for you.

Pros of hiring someone else to do the party
  • You develop a strong phone relationship (which you’ll need anyway)
  • You get to do the kit issue with her over the phone
  • You get to do her new consultant training over the phone
  • You don’t have to pay for travel
  • You don’t have to leave your home
  • You can book more parties
  • She gets to see someone else do a party – variety is the spice of PartyLite – hopefully she’ll observe several different shows
  • She gets to meet a consultant who lives near her – a buddy
Cons of hiring someone else to do the party for you
  • You don’t get to meet face to face (of course, there’s always Skype)
  • You don’t get to show your new recruit how YOU do a show
  • You don’t get to travel somewhere new or somewhere you want to travel
  • You don’t get to meet her friends and get them excited about her new business
  • She might "steal" your new consultant from you (I don't believe this will ever be an issue if you (1) hire the right person, (2) clearly articulate what you are asking her to do, and (3) pay her to do the show.)
How do you hire someone to do a starter show for you?

Talk to someone in your upline who has strong relationships with consultants and leaders all across Australia. Ask them who they recommend in the area where your new recruit is located. Have that person contact that person and explain the situation to her.
  • You don’t need her to do the latte appointment – you’ve done it.
  • You don’t need her to train your new person – you’ve either done it or scheduled it.
  • You don’t need her to do the kit issue – you’ll do it yourself.
  • You don’t need her to hostess coach – you’ll not only hostess coach the new consultant, but you’ll help train her on hostess coaching for her first six shows.
  • You don’t need her to process the order – you just need her to provide the new consultant with all of the order forms and payments so that your new starter can fill in the Show Order Forms (with your assistance).

You just need her to book the party into her diary, talk to the new consultant to plan the party, present the party professionally, and take orders and payments.

The consultant who does this show for you is a very important person. She will show your new consultant how to set up a display, how to greet guests when they arrive, how to gather people to start the show, how to demonstrate the products, specials, hostess benefits and consultant opportunities. How to engage the guests and make the party fun. How to get the door prize form filled out. How to take orders. It’s a fantastic demonstration, because she has a strong business of her own. She is probably a leader herself or some with leadership aspirations.

How do you get someone that good to do a show for you?

You pay her.

Personally, I pay anyone who does a starter show for me the same amount they would have gotten paid if they would have done a show themselves. If she is a leader, I pay her 33% of total sales. If she is a consultant, I pay her 28% of sales. Let’s face it, she isn’t going to get any credit for her work from PartyLite. The sales will not count toward her bonusing that month. The sales won’t count toward her sales achievements that year. The sales won’t be added to her total unit sales. She doesn’t get leads, she doesn’t get bookings. And she could have (and probably would have) booked a show of her own at the same time. I could give her gift certificates, but with our 40% discount, they aren’t worth as much to a consultant as they are to a client. So to make it a professional relationship, and to make sure my new consultant gets to see a great demonstration, I pay professional rates. No discounts.

As our entire team grows, this issue will come up more and more. Travelling is fine, but the leaders around the country know that they can find excellent support in every corner of the country. The culture and values of PartyLite support helping each other out. “Wanting for and not from each other.” Doing what’s right.

So let's use our strong network and sponsor our faraway friends!

What do you think?