CHAPTER 7

Sponsor to Succeed

THE MOST REWARDING INVESTMENT you can make in your business is in your sponsoring skills. No matter how much you earn, selling is a job. The moment you stop selling, your income will stop. Sponsoring makes it a business.

Here’s your mantra:

“Sales are my income for today. Bookings are my income for tomorrow. Sponsoring will be my income forever.”

Most party planners say the number one reason they started a business is … someone asked them. It was not a premeditated decision. They happened to meet the right person at the right time and they signed up. Your job is to make sure that right person is you.

If you ask people without a party plan business to identify what the sticking point was, the overwhelming majority will say, “There’s no reason. I never thought about it. No one has ever asked me.”

The number one reason people don’t start a party plan business is not because they’re too scared, busy, lazy, young, or old or they don’t think they can sell. It’s not because they’re happy with the job they have, or they’re too timid to switch. It’s because no one approached them.

The magic word in sponsoring is “ask.” Not everyone is going to be interested. You ask everyone because you don’t know who will or won’t be interested. Don’t try to be a mind reader or second-guess your prospects. Starting, or not starting, is their decision to make. Your job is to extend the invitation to as many people as possible, and in the best way possible.

Don’t let inexperience stop you from sponsoring. Enthusiasm and excitement will always count more than experience, and you and your new recruit can learn and grow together. Start sponsoring from day one.

Don’t let distance hold you back. Technology has removed every obstacle to sponsoring long distance. From signing to mentoring your new consultant, everything can be done by phone, Skype, and the Internet. Long-distance team members can log on to Webinars and attend meetings by Web cam. Make an effort to visit your team members in person if possible, but if it’s not practical, you can meet up twice a year at National Convention and the annual incentive trip. What special times those will be!

The greatest barrier to sponsoring is not that there aren’t enough prospects, people aren’t interested, times are tough, or any other excuse you care to use. The greatest barrier you have to overcome is hesitation.

Learning to sponsor takes both patience and persistence. But you’ve already learned that from your selling experience. Can you remember the guest who raved about every product you demonstrated but then slipped away without ordering a single item? Remember the one who gave you nothing but blank looks throughout your sales presentation but then surprised you with a huge order?

You can’t predict what will happen, but the more people you talk to, the greater your odds of success will be. Every party planner has driven across town for a host who promised ten guests but delivered only two. Another time, when expectations were at rock bottom, the planner has hit the jackpot with a record-breaking party.

It’s the same with sponsoring. It’s a numbers game. You have to be prepared to ask many people in order to hear the word “yes.”

If only it were as easy as yes or no. Some prospects may come close to signing but then get cold feet or sign with another company. Some will sign up with an abundance of enthusiasm that fades after they place a few orders. Some will sign up and do nothing, and others will do a lot. A few will succeed beyond your wildest imagination. That’s what makes the business interesting and the rewards spectacular for the few who achieve party plan superstardom.

Nothing will stop you from reaching your goal if you’ve already factored in the faders and falterers. The only way you will fail is by doing nothing or by clinging to bad sponsoring habits when they’re not working for you. The sooner you ditch your bad habits, the sooner you’ll see results.

Bad Habit #1: Focusing on Yourself

Sponsoring is not about you; it’s about your prospects. Their needs, interests, experiences, circumstances, and priorities will be different from yours and different from those of the prospect you talked with yesterday.

It’s harder than it sounds to put your own feelings aside. Even I still sometimes have to remind myself of this. I grew up in a poor home, so financial security is something I am deeply passionate about. But I am sometimes guilty of overemphasizing my goals.

At a recent National Convention I ran a workshop on how to set meaningful goals, and I used debt as an example. When I asked members of the audience to share their goals, one volunteered, “I want to pay off my credit cards.”

But I could see in her eyes that there was no passion behind her words, so I asked, “Are you sure?” There were a few seconds of silence before she smiled and said, “I don’t really care about debt. I just want to shop!”

Her true goal was a closet full of shoes, and as the words came out of her mouth, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

A few minutes later, when I asked another what her goal was she said, “I’m with the shoe lady!”

It’s not your role to work out what your prospects want.

That’s their job. Your job is to find out what they want and show them how they can have it.

Bad Habit #2: Talking About Your Company

It’s easy to talk about how long your company has been in business, the charismatic founders, and how much the plan pays out at each level, but those details belong in the Guinness Book of Nobody Cares. Think how irritated you would be if you couldn’t buy a sandwich or a skirt without being harangued about the origins of the business.

If there’s a time for a talk about your company’s history, founders, manufacturing standards, or home offices, it’s at training—after your prospect has signed. Prospecting is the time to connect with people and for them to connect with you.

Bad Habit #3: Being Predatory

Sponsoring is not a manhunt. If you act like a predator, your prospects will act like prey. Showing scant regard for their circumstances and feelings may produce some short-term success but you won’t make it far because prospects will race for the nearest exit when they see you coming—just as you would if someone tried to ambush you.

Bad Habit #4: Words!

Repeat after me: “Words are not my friend.” When your lips are working, you’re learning nothing. The more time you spend talking, the less time your prospects will spend listening.

Sponsoring is not about finding the right words; it’s about finding the right people.

Bad Habit #5: Thinking Prospects Are Doing You a Favor by Joining Your Team

The exact opposite is true. Aren’t you grateful to your sponsor for introducing you to the business? What if your sponsor had hesitated out of indifference or fear of rejection? If you love what you do, you’ll be excited about paying it forward.

Bad Habit #6: Seeing Sponsoring in Black-and-White Terms

A “no” may have been closer to a “yes” than you think. Very few of our decisions are black and white. Mostly, they fall into the gray zone. We weigh up the pros and cons before deciding one way or another.

What can tip the scales from a “yes” to a “maybe” or a “no” isn’t that your prospects are not sold on your business but that they are not sold on you. I’ve met thousands of successful party planners who said no to one person and yes to another. It was how they were approached that made the difference.

Bad Habit #7: Thinking That Your Business Is Right for Everyone

Sponsoring is a process of matchmaking. The reason you talk to as many people as possible is to find a match. When there’s no match, it’s not a big deal. But what if there were a match and you held back? What if you denied people the chance to take control of their life because you got stage fright or passed them by? What if you were so focused on your products that you left no time to talk about the business?

To become a sponsoring superstar, you must banish your bad habits and replace them with good habits.

Good Habit #1: Opening Many Doors to Your Business

The more doors you open to your business, the more people will come in. A party plan business can benefit so many different people on so many diverse levels. You will grow faster by targeting a wide range of prospects.

Moms should be right at the top of your prospect-shopping list. The U-turn from a “live to work” to a “work to live” culture has opened up a whole new world of opportunity for you to build a team. A party plan business empowers moms to stay true to their family-first values and meet their fun, friendship, and financial needs all at the same time.

Think of people who are spending the best years of their children’s lives at the office. How different would their lives, and their children’s lives, be if they used their talents to start a business from home? The difference between being a working mom and a mom who works is putting family first.

Look for full-time moms. Any party plan mom will tell you that spending time in adult company is one of the things she values most about her business.

Seek out working women who are stuck in the wrong job. However well paid they are, no one will spend their retirement years wishing they had spent more time at work.

Career women are great prospects. The more ambitious they are, the more they should question the wisdom of allowing someone else to decide what they’re worth. Who wouldn’t want to write their own paycheck, even if it means working harder?

Seek out business owners who may be fed up with working long hours only to see the bulk of their hard-won profits siphoned off by the landlord and the bank.

Look for workers who are facing voluntary or involuntary retirement. The prospect of not working can be scary for those who have neither money nor plans for their time. A party plan business will put them in the driver’s seat. They can choose when to start and when to stop working—and when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.

That you can start a party plan business while still working a full-time job widens your scope of prospective team members. Think of people who:

Want to start a new career without the time and expense involved in retraining.

Are seeking variety from a job that offers little stimulation or satisfaction.

Need stopgap income between jobs.

Are looking for a way to make up for lost income when an employer has cut back on overtime hours.

Are concerned about having enough to get by if they lose their job. In an uncertain economy, everyone needs a six-month emergency fund.

Want to take advantage of the tax breaks that come with running a business from home.

Many successful party plan superstars say they started out intending to stay for only a short time before discovering that party plan was the career they had been seeking all along but they just didn’t know it. That’s why you have to open your doors wide.

Don’t overlook people who have been in the business before. Turnover happens in all lines of work and many direct sellers experience one or two different companies before they find the perfect fit.

Integrity dictates that you should never approach consultants who are active with another company. Once they leave all bets are off. There are millions of former party planners who may be excited at a second chance to shine.

When you meet them, try to be specific about what is new, exciting, and different about your business:

“The training is incredible. I have learned so much.”
“The products are different from anything you will see in stores.”
“The company pays for the host rewards so I keep more of my earnings.”

You have an advantage if you have been in the business before, as you can be specific:

“I used to feel guilty because I never found enough time to service my customers. My new company sends a monthly newsletter direct to my customers, with my name on it. My customers think it comes directly from me. I love seeing orders come through even when I’m not actively working.”

Think of yourself as a talent scout on the lookout for people who can benefit from a party plan business. You never know when and where you’ll spot them.

Good Habit #2: Exposing the Gap Between What People Have and What They Want

It’s not what we have that motivates us to make changes in our lives; it’s the gap between what we have and what we want.

For many of us that gap is cash. You’ll meet people who need money to pay bills, and others who want to start a retirement fund.

Look for people who have a gap between their income and their dreams. They may have enough money for day-to-day expenses, but they want to travel, upgrade their house, own a vacation home, drive a better car, or send their kids to the best schools.

Whenever there’s an income gap, we have two choices: Either give something up or earn more money. I know which option I choose. Life is far too short to accept a hand-me-down, settle-for-less lifestyle.

Your prospects’ gap may not be money. It could be education, status, recognition, personal growth, social, or any other reason people start a party plan business. Everyone has a different gap. Your challenge is to expose it and excite your prospects about filling it with a party plan business.

Good Habit #3: Asking Thought-Provoking Questions

It’s far more important to be interested than it is to be interesting. The more questions you ask, the better your conversations will be and the sooner you will discover your prospects’ perspectives and priorities. You will make more prospects interested in the business by being interested in them than you will by trying to get them interested in you.

Ask boring questions and you’ll get boring answers. Ask open-ended questions, and you’ll encourage people to ramble. Ask highly focused questions, and you’ll discover what really matters in their life.

Try asking these questions to reveal a need for your business opportunity:

“If you could change one thing about your job, what is the first thing you would do?”

“If you discovered $1,000 in your wallet right now, what would you buy with it?”

“How different would your life be if you paid off your debts?”

“If you were given a $100-a-week pay raise, what would you do with it?”

“If you won two first-class air tickets to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go? And whom would you take with you?”

“If you could give your family one special gift right now, what would it be?”

“If you could make just one personal dream come true, which dream would you choose?”

By having prospects answer these questions, you will see how they focus their thoughts and reveal their innermost feelings. Try the questions on your friends and family to discover what matters most in their lives before you try them on your prospects.

Good Habit #4: Showing Pride in Your Business

When someone asks you about your job, you have the perfect opportunity to promote your business:

“I have a great job. I sell fragrant candles at home parties.”

“I’m a party planner. I demonstrate and sell inspirational wall expressions.”

“I am an independent consultant for a leading brand of spa products.”

“I have my own business selling the most amazing educational books.”

Create a story that people will enjoy hearing and relate to on a personal level. Leave out the irrelevant or uninteresting details so that your story is exciting and inspiring, as in these examples:

“I’m a teacher, but I always dreamed of going on a safari in Africa. I knew I was never going to save enough from my job, so I started a small, part-time business selling natural beeswax candles. Working for myself is more satisfying than I ever imagined it would be, and I have saved nearly half of the money for my trip.”
“Last year my mom had a health crisis and it was a huge wake-up call for me. I decided to start taking better care of myself. A neighbor had recommended that Mom try an amazing nutritional supplement and I started taking it, too. It made such a difference to both of us that I decided to sell it. The supplement changed my health, and the business has changed my life.”
“I’m a mom. I have two beautiful daughters and I love spending time with them. But I don’t want to give up my independence. So I do two parties a week to meet people and enjoy a little ‘me time.’ But best of all, the money I make pays for all the extras we couldn’t afford before.”

Good Habit #5: Sharing Your Business at Every Opportunity

Keep listening up for reasons why your prospect will benefit from your business:

To someone who seems unsettled at work: “Have you ever thought about going out on your own? I’m building a small business from home. It has opened up a whole new world for me.”

To someone with debt or cash flow problems: “Ever thought about starting a part-time business to bring in some extra cash? The extra income I make from my business has made a huge difference.”

To a friend or close relative: “Ever thought about us working together? Think of the fun we could have.”

To a neighbor who has similar products on her kitchen counter: “Did you know you can buy these wholesale?”

To friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers who talk about gaining weight: “Try one of my low-calorie snack bars. They’re only eighty calories and they’re delicious.”

Good Habit #6: Keeping Your Message Simple

Don’t complicate matters by telling your prospects more than they need to know. Timing is everything. A volley of information too soon will more likely alienate prospects than get them excited. Take it gently.

The purpose of your first approach is to get them interested. They are more likely to agree to a next step (i.e., meet with you or invite you to send more information) if they are intrigued by what you say. Overexplaining takes away the reason for you to follow up.

Most budding party planners start out with small goals. Many times those small goals blossom into big goals once they have had a taste of the business. No one wants to commit to something she doesn’t fully understand, and if you make it sound like a big deal, most prospects will be frightened away. Talk instead about “earnings per party,” and use soft-sell phrases such as “small business” and “part-time.”

Stay clear of jargon. Don’t use industry-speak, such as “upline,” “downline,” “width,” “depth,” and the abbreviations IBO, PV, and BV, or you will confuse or annoy your prospects.

Good Habit #7: Following Up

Never leave prospects in limbo. Always have a “next step” in place. If prospects say yes, sign them up straight away. The sooner they sign, the sooner they can start realizing their goals.

If they are on the fence about signing up, keep the communication lines open with the following:

Invite them to an upcoming event.

Give them a book, CD, or DVD that will help them learn more about the business.

Send them a magazine that features your company, referring them specifically to articles that match their circumstances and tell them: “You should check out the article on page 46. It’s about one of our top people and she reminds me of you. She was a career mom, too.”

Invite them to listen to a call that outlines the business. It’s not my favorite technique (I find it impersonal) but it can’t do any harm if the person conducting the call is charismatic. Make sure you join the call so you can follow up with the question “What part did you find the most interesting?”

Always treat your prospects with integrity. If they say no, send a handwritten note thanking them for taking the time to meet with you. If you make them feel embarrassed about their decision, they won’t want to hear from you again.

The principle behind sponsoring is simple: You are looking for people who are perfect for your business because your business is perfect for them. Just as the princess had to kiss a lot of frogs to find her prince, you have to sift through a lot of people to find your party plan superstars.