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Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Wow, pretty harsh title, isn’t it? The truth may be ugly, but it’s still the truth.
Why do people lie when they don’t need to? I am mainly referring to excuses that are flung around when the actual truth would be perfectly acceptable. I know it happens in every circle around the world, but allow me to give you a few examples that are frequented within the direct sales industry, at least within my experience. Actually it’s not limited to just the direct selling industry; it happens in plenty of other industries too.
1. Invitations to home parties or team meetings. Some people love going to home parties; others … not so much. Rather than saying something simple such as, “I won’t be able to make it.” Period. No further elaboration needed, instead you get an excuse that is so transparent and it goes on and on and on with every little minute detail and it is so obscure that the fibber doesn’t even realize she is spewing such nonsense. It’s an insult to my intelligence when people toss me a load of crap and think I am buying it.
2. I’m going to sign up with you right now. I am a huge proponent in shopping for sponsors. I’ve said on a number of occasions that I don’t think you should necessarily go with the first person you talk with. Finding a good fit is important. Yet after you spend weeks and phone calls and emails and mailings with a person and they tell you how fabulous you are and how they can’t wait to join your team, then they sign with someone else, and then lie about it, it’s an insult to my intelligence.
Don’t misunderstand, the fact that they opted to join another team isn’t the issue, it truly isn’t. It’s that they lied about it, either lied with some cockamamie story about how they inadvertently signed with someone else, or they lied when they said they were going to go enroll with me as soon as they hung up – but then they flaunt on online forums how they just joined (with someone else). Continue reading
I May Be Home But I’m Still Working
I know I am not alone in this. On behalf of others who have home based businesses – I’d like to say: “We may be home, but we are still working!”
Being a home based contractor, consultant, freelancer, or entrepreneur is both a blessing and a curse. For example, it’s a blessing that I don’t have to get all dolled up and drive to work outside the home. It’s a curse in that it requires discipline to keep working and not get distracted with either household responsibilities or by fun things to do.
It’s a blessing that I don’t have to punch a clock or report at a specific time. It’s a curse that you are never really off the clock. You can’t leave your work at work because it’s always there when you are home.
It’s a blessing that I get to work in the comforts of my own home. It’s a curse that I work in the comforts of my own home. Others tend to think that since you work at home, it’s not really work. I do have the freedom to set my own schedule, yet others try to take this freedom away.
- Need a ride to the airport? LA will do it; she’s home.
- Need someone to chit chat with? Call LA; she’s home.
- Want to stop by for coffee and shoot the breeze? Call LA; she’s home.
None of those things are such a bad deal, if I had volunteered to stop working in the middle of my work day, but there are a lot of assumptions about my availability. I still have objectives, goals, tasks and activities that need to be accomplished as a business owner.
Consider if I worked outside the home: Continue reading
That Was Longer Than Three Minutes
Set reasonable expectations for your customers.
You may think that you if you tell your customers it could take up to three weeks to receive their party order they may be upset or may not order. So perhaps you think that if you tell them “in about a week or so” then they’ll be pleased with that response and order.
This is backwards thinking. You always want to under-promise and over-deliver. If you tell them 3 weeks and it arrives in eight days, they’ll be thrilled. Yet if you tell them to expect it in a week and it takes 16 days, they’re going to be upset, may cancel the order or may never want to order again.
I was thinking about this over the weekend at a local pizza establishment. My daughter had some friends over who decided they wanted pizza for lunch. I ran up the street to get a couple Hot and Ready pies for them. Though when I walked in, there were no pizzas hot and no pizzas ready. The young man at the counter told me it would be “three minutes”. Certainly I could wait three minutes for the pepperoni bliss. Continue reading
Expect Courtesy
It’s been said time and time again that we should give unconditionally. We should give because we want to and not because we want something in return. We should give without expecting anything in return.
I agree with this … mostly. It generally makes me happy to be a giver and not a receiver. It brings me as much joy to be able to give as it does when I receive. But I do not give without expecting anything in return. I have expectations when I give someone something – whether it’s a compliment, my time, or some tangible tool to help team members’ businesses.
I expect courtesy in return.
By definition, courtesy is a behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others; a respectful act or expression. Why wouldn’t someone expect that? Yet it amazes me how many don’t expect others to be courteous. Of course expecting one to be courteous doesn’t guarantee they will be, but to expect anything less is mediocrity at best.
I cringe whenever I hear “I don’t expect anything in return.” Really? Then that is likely exactly what you will get – nothing. We have no problem telling our gal pals to get rid of the boyfriend who we don’t think is worthy of her time and attention. We tell her that she deserves better; we tell her not to tolerate his disrespecting her. Great advice, yes?
Then why would you not expect the same respect from your team members? Don’t misunderstand – I am not saying you should demand courtesy. Demanding anything rarely works to anyone’s advantage. But to expect courtesy should be a given. Continue reading
Feel Like Your Sponsor is Getting a Free Ride?
It’s not uncommon to hear direct sales consultants lament about how irritating it is that they are doing all the work and their upline is just getting a free ride. Generally this isn’t the case; it only appears so because some downline members don’t see the big picture. That said, there are indeed some instances when an upline should be providing more training to downline members. In most direct selling companies there is a systematic approach to take care of these situations. However, this type of genuine lack of responsibility is not what I am referring to today.
Rather today I am referring to the self motivated, go-getter type consultant who has the inner drive and objective to build a successful business, yet they chose to sign up with someone who does not share the same level of career aspirations at this time. Blow is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. After reading it perhaps you’ll have a different perspective.
Disgruntled Consultant: It’s just frustrating because she does it more for personal use and also has her best friend under her as well. Heck I even asked her if could join. But now I’m over here working my hiney off and in return she gets a free ride and promotes. Isn’t that nice for her and she has never sent me anything in return.
Upline Response: Well, as far as your sponsor is concerned, a few things to keep in mind, she is certainly welcomed to be a part time seller, casual user. The company doesn’t require her to be a business builder. And it sounds as though she did not actively recruit you, because you stated, ‘you asked to join.’ I sometimes I hear third hand how some are upset because they think they do all the work and I get paid off of it. Actually that is partially true – because that’s how our compensation is set up. It’s just a fact with a two-tiered compensation plan. Continue reading
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