From Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek
You may have heard of the three-legged stool illustration when people are talking about having a balanced direct sales business–Sales, Recruiting, and Promotions. If you only have two
of these "legs," your "stool" is very likely to fall over. Only one leg, and it's virtually impossible to sustain a seated, stable position for long.
I would like to commandeer that example and apply it to our approach to recruiting. Many times, demonstrators make the mistake of only selling the opportunity to new recruits in one way. They have a one-legged approach to recruiting. Their focus is on one or possibly two reasons that people sign up, and they ignore, don't know/haven't thought about, or rarely emphasize the many other aspects of purchasing that Starter Kit.
The most successful recruiters recognize that what motivates them may not motivate their potential recruit. I realized this after I was extolling the virtues of Stampin' Up's fabulous incentive trips at a workshop some time back, and a person at the table piped up, "But that just doesn't do it for me. I hate flying." The thought of the trips (which honestly, most demonstrators will never earn) did not motivate her one bit, no matter how much it did me. I realized that while it was endlessly fascinating to me, and customers really did enjoy hearing a bit about the trips they have helped make possible for my family, I needed to do more than just gush about my world travels in order to attract new
team members. It was enormously motivating to me, but it wasn't why I signed up when I started, for sure–and it wasn't even on their radar at all.
I would have been better off to think about what needs Stampin' Up could fulfill in my customers' lives, and make sure they knew about that potential answer to their "problem." Consider your past attempts at recruiting statements. What did you emphasize (assuming you mentioned the opportunity at all, which I hope you did?) Was it the money-making aspect? The chance for
recognition? What about the camaraderie of the team? Or the techniques you learn at the monthly meetings? The exponential growth of your personal stampin' stash? The chance to be the first to know all the news and try the latest products? The bargain of the Starter Kit itself? The ladies' night out away from the pressures of little kids?
If you're a good demonstrator, you hit on one of these common reasons people want to sign up when you are interacting with your potential recruit. If you're a great demonstrator, you hit on two easrons.
And if you are a fabulous recruiter, chances are you did two very clever things: first, you hit on several different possible motivations during your interactions, over time. Secondly, you were paying enough attention to be clued in to the moment when you hit upon the main reason she wants to sign up. That moment when she became engaged, her eyes lit up, her body language became more
open, the excitement crept into her voice, and she set down the smart phone and started listening. You managed to hit upon a need she has that your company canfill, and now she's envisioning her problem solved and a happier, more fulfilled life. Bingo!
Sometimes, the potential team member will clue you in right away as to what her needs are.
But a saavy recruiter will realize that for every person who verbalizes what they are really thinking, there are many more who won't put it into words. It's those that we have to be watching and listening for, or we'll miss the clues and then wind up wondering why she didn't go for it, "and after all the work I put into her."
A thoughtful demonstrator, one who approaches their business with intentional mindfulness, will consider all the reasons someone might be interested in signing up, and look for ways to appeal to the many individual motivations of potential team members. Her recruiting "stool" will not be teetering on one leg–yes, a one-legged stool can be sat upon, but it's not very comfortable, and ultimately you'll probably wind up on your backside.
I challenge you this month to think about the reasons your last three recruits made the decision to join. I bet you almost anything there were at least two different main motivations, if not three. Realize your team, and your future team, is as varied and colorful as the coolers in a florist's shop, and while they do have some common motivations, what truly drives them to go for it is going to be uniquely individual to them. A "one size fits all" approach is not going to be very successful.
Then think about your usual recruiting statements and how you could change those up, add another one in, or re-write some of your materials to cover more of those reasons. In your general interactions with groups, try to hit on at least three reasons to sign up. In your personal interactions with interested potential recruits, pay attention to the clues about her motivations, so that you can
focus your time together on helping her see how Stampin' Up can meet her individual needs. Because really, that's where it all comes down to–Stampin' Up met a need in your life, and it can meet a need in theirs, too.
Decide today to overhaul your approach to recruiting and growing your team this year. Like gloves, or slippers (or anything but scarves, really,) "one size" does NOT fit all. Sometimes it's the very subtlest of tweaks that's needed, and not a big fancy new recruting promotion or handout or system. There aren't really any shortcuts in recruiting. Every recruit is an individual person who must make the decision for themselves, and will need varying amounts of assistance defining their motivations and your personal touch as they work through the process of making that choice. I wish you the very best of success. Dream BIG, friend!
