Yup that is the title. Now that got your attention didn’t it? Is it possible? Are there things that Consultants do not actually like their company or Direct Sales? Of course. It is a business and like all businesses, there will always be things that are not our favorite things to do on a daily basis.
In Direct Sales, there are consultants that each like to run their business a little differently. Some of us are great on the internet, some of us are great at recruiting, some of us are organized, some of us are motivational. We all have things we are good at and we all have weaknesses. The day that a consultant becomes a strong leader is the day that we recognize what we are great at, what we are good at and what we can improve on. Ever notice that the things we don’t like to do, we are not very good at? Well take a look. Take a deep look. Things we are not good at, we procrastinate. Oh it is so true. It is rare that we procrastinate doing the things we absolutely love, especially criticism of ourselves.
Some people don’t ever want to get better at things they are not good at, yet they go around with the mentality that some people are only successful because they are doing certain things or got an unfair advantage. Well truth of the matter is, why can’t you do the same things? You just have to learn a new concept, a new thought process, a new way of doing things. Sound easy? It is. People just don’t want to invest the time. They want quick overnight results. Success does not happen this way. It takes patience, an open mind, and the drive to see your future and the road you need to travel to get there.
And so I should call this list, things I need to improve on in my Direct Sales business but I figured the current title would be fun, grab your attention and be different than most blog posts on the internet. After all, the Direct Sales and Network Marketing Industry are TRULY amazing and it is very rare that I can say anything negative. This post is about honesty and giving a perspective on things that may help other consultants or help people who are thinking about starting their own business realize that ALL of us have things we need to try to improve every single day.
Top 5 Things I Don’t like about my Business or Is it about me?
Comparing myself to others. I love my business but I am so competitive by nature that I constantly compare myself to others instead of focusing on MY business. Do any of you have that issue? Instead of driving my own car down my own road, I have in the past sat feeling sorry for myself wishing I was like someone else or could do what other people have done.
This is a recipe for disaster and can severely hold you back. Comparing yourself to others will only hinder what you can accomplish. The crazy thing that you need to try to remember is other people are probably comparing themselves to you. We forget this so quickly. You do things that are amazing and people want to do them like you. For some consultants that is so difficult to imagine but its the truth. Instead of comparing yourself to others, make a list of things you want to accomplish or improve on. Do you need to be more organized? Surround yourself by organized people and pick their brains. Do you wish you were a better speaker? Get on training calls and webinars and listen to the strengths of the great ones. Do you wish you were better on the internet? Learn it. The internet is right at your finger tips. Type in what you what to learn and voila…instant training, You need to take the initiative to stop wishing that you were a certain and gain the attributes you love through training and education. Sitting around hoping doesn’t create Your Dream!
Not being able to motivate everyone. Yes it drives me crazy when I see the down line of my business, watch people sign up and do nothing with this opportunity. There are two types of people who go inactive after joining. They either had a misconception of how it would work or truly believe that you, as their sponsor would do everything for them.
Well the first type of person, I figured out quickly that I could fix. When you first join a business like this, you are so excited when you are about to get your first team member that you don’t start the training at hello before they even sign the consultant agreement. I watch people every single day who recruit people and don’t care about making sure they have painted the CORRECT picture of how their business will work. I hear all the time, “it’s easy, it’s fun, just start sharing.” Yes that is all true but there is a lot more that goes along with it. It is easy and a person will have the time of their life but it is HARD WORK AND DEDICATION as well. Once a new consultant’s systems are in place, of course things get easier and easier but a new consultant signing up who has never been in the direct sales industry is led to believe that they will open their Starter Kit and money will come pouring out of it.
Direct Sales is a social selling industry which means you will have to talk to strangers, share your business, book parties, learn to be organized, be a trainer, be a mentor, stay engaged, make time, get on a computer and yes run a business. It is important to let a potential team member know all of this. Do you have to be good at any of these? No, but you have to be willing to sit back and say, I am not good at some of these things, but I have a dream and I am willing to learn.
When you sit with a potential new team member and explain this concept, the emotions of getting a kit don’t go from excitement to fear. They go from excitement to ready for the time of their lives. They achieve starter awards, they stay active and they stay engaged with a vision of what they want their business to be. So many consultants just recruit anyone to get as many numbers on the board as they can. In these cases, I can bet that most of their down line are inactive.
The second type of person has an idea of what a Direct Sales Business entails but refuse to do any of the work and training. They don’t answer emails, they don’t get on group pages, the don’t read company updates, they ask the same questions over and over again and then turn around and blame their non success on the company or their sponsor. The one thing I tell my team is I will always be here for any of their questions, but most of the time if we have gone over the answers, I will only guide them where to find the answers. I will not give them the answer directly. If I simply gave the answer to every consultant, I am doing my team a dissatisfaction as their Director. They are not learning how to find things for themselves and then when they recruit someone, they are not able to train that person as well.
My job as a Director is do everything in my power to mentor and help consultants be successful and amazing, but I can not make everyone do the work that is involved and neither can you. Focus on the people who are focused. As long as you are doing the things that are asked of us, you are doing everything you need to do.
Do you have a Facebook Group Page? Tell your team where it is located. Is the response, “I don’t have a Facebook?” Well its 2018, it is time to get one. It is their business and work needs to be done for their business. Systems should not be created for the minority unless it is a rare circumstance. Create easy systems for the majority. Make youCreating accommodations for every single person because they simple do not want to change how they currently do things is not a good enough excuse to drive yourself bonkers making things perfect for everyone. You will never achieve that goal. Provide all the resources you can, explain where to find them, It is their job to take the initiative and go there.
Bagging orders. There I said it. It is one of the worst things that I personally do not like about my business. Reason? Because I have anxiety that I made an error on someone’s order. Can you imagine? I know I check and recheck every single order but when the order comes in I fear that I might have made a mistake. There is nothing anyone else can do about this. I need to learn to trust myself and know that I have entered the order confidently and everything will be there. I actually enjoy the actual task of making my orders beautiful for my customers but because of how hard I am on myself, I don’t let myself enjoy something that is really fun and relaxing. Definitely on my self improvement check list. : )
The Phone. It is funny how many of you out there will admit you hate the phone. It is not very many. Most consultants won’t admit they don’t like it and some of you who would be amazing at this business will not join because of a fear of being on the phone. Well I have a couple reasons for disliking the phone.
1. I have a difficult time doing two things at once. If I am on the phone, the person has my undivided attention and all that is in my head is of how many other things I need to be doing. I can’t relax, I pace the floor. It is truly a very unenjoyable time for me.
2. The regret after for being on the phone for so long knowing that I did not accomplish anything I needed to. You see it makes me laugh that my dislike for the phone has nothing to do with be scared of being on the phone or the awkward silence. For some of you that might be the case and that is something that takes practice and time. For me, it is my slight OCD that I have to work on and relax my brain. There are going to be members of your team and hostesses that love the human interaction and conversation. Some will love emails and Facebook.
It is our job as Consultants to figure out and make mental notes of what each customer, team member, hostess and potential recruit need. It becomes not about what we need but changing how we do things to accommodate people for even a few minutes when it means being the best Sponsor or Consultant possible. I have gotten considerably better at this but it is still a work in progress. I invite all of your to figure out what you don’t like and why. For many of you it might be the phone, for many of you it might be the computer. Take a stand today to get better on some of the things that are not your favorite.
That sometimes personal matters get in the way of my business and hold me back. I could kick myself everyday for wearing my heart of my sleeve. It holds me back. I am a strong, confident business owner but when some things or someone upsets me emotionally, everything stops. It is like I have to have everything lined up in order to continue moving in a positive direction. My goal is to learn how to deal with my personal issues as well as my business. Since the beginning of 2013, I have done much better in this area. I have scheduled team webinars, I post on my team page every day, answer emails and messages, I write my blog posts, I create training videos, I hold parties, I enter orders, I deliver orders, all a while dealing with things going on in my personal life. You must learn to have balance. Trials and tribulations will never stop but you cannot let them get in the way our your success, of your dreams. Finding a happy medium and staying focused is one of the most difficult things to do. It takes practice, patience, education and motivation. You have to create your goals and make SELF IMPROVEMENT a huge priority. If you get identify and get better at how you deal with challenges that come your way, road blocks appear in your journey and you will never move forward
And so I end this post with an apology. I apologize if you thought this post was going to be a rant about actual things wrong with this industry. The things I don’t like about my business are only l when I look in the mirror and see things about me right in front of my face that I need to improve on. It is scary, it is nerve wracking and I don’t always know how I am going to tackle them, but that right there is what makes being a business owner AMAZING. You are allowed to be you and to be surrounded by people who love you, educate you, train you, invest in you, recognize you and believe in you. When you are involved withe a company and people who do that, looking in that mirror isn’t so scary and ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!
Truth is, you cannot plan a business, industry, company, sponsor, director or anyone else until you have done a self inventory and figured out if the issues you have or the things you do not like lie right inside yourself. Being a home based business owner has opened my eyes, helped me grow as a person, gave me strength and purpose and a TRUE REALITY CHECK! I am right where I am suppose to be and realizing that is a wonderful feeling.
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