Lessons from the Crib – How to Hold Your New Recruits

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

Enrolling someone in your business is of little consequence to your success in MLM. Getting continuous production from that recruit is the key to success. So, what are the elements which result in converting a “recruit” into a “leader?”

Well, after spending 2½ weeks with my toddler grandchildren several years ago, an insight bolted into my consciousness: if you make it fun and interesting --- concentrating on what THEY want, then you pretty much get compliance. I realized, as I thought about what it took to get cooperative action from our little darling 1 and 2-year-old grandchildren that the same logic certainly applied to MLM.

Some elements of our business are very challenging to people, and we have a hard time getting our new recruits into action. One of those elements is prospecting. But, what if you had a reward program to “pay” your recruits weekly if they got the job done? I can tell you from experience that once I established a monopoly type paper “pay” system in my weekly Boot Camp call, participants would do practically anything to make sure they got “paid.”

When I started “paying” everyone to prospect 3-5 people a week and “paying” people to sponsor, they accomplished these activities a lot more successfully. In addition, when I started “paying” my distributors for exercising, instead of just nagging them to get more fit, I got incredibly better results.

One of my participants broke her toe, but she only missed one week’s money, soon finding a way to take up stationary bicycle riding to comply with the activities, so she could once again win all her weekly money, plus the weekly bonus for completing all 12 assignments successfully.

A major key here is that it is about what THEY want. Much of the training in our industry is a cookie cutter process designed to create exact duplication with everyone. Therein lies a problem.

Many people cannot SEE themselves doing certain things, like saying exactly what is in the script, or wearing a button. If, however, you could design a way to personalize your trainings, making them more interactive and perhaps even involving role-playing, then chances are you would retain a lot more people.

I have found that I can accomplish this in a group process over the phone. I structure my Boot Camp calls to allow for a significant amount of interaction every week. People are both acknowledged and rewarded. It’s not about me, it’s about them.

My first real conscious implementation of this “fun” and “interesting” behavior modification actually occurred many years ago, when I was a teacher in that small town high school in Escalon, California. I taught English and Home Economics.

In my Home Ec classes, due to the nature of the activities, I had to assign monitor duties (I thought) each week. Some students were required to unplug and turn off the irons, some folded dishtowels, some cleaned off tables and put away pattern books, etc.

I assigned such jobs alphabetically and wrote the “workers” names on a monitor list that I taped to my desktop. The kids complained incessantly that surely it wasn’t their turn again, etc. and ---quite frankly --- after 3 years of struggle, I decided that life was short, and I was tired of all the whining.

I came up with a revolutionary new “system.” I would accept only volunteers. No one would ever “have to” do a chore again. When I first announced the new program in each of my six classes, a snicker broke out when I said I was only accepting volunteers.

After waiting an appropriate length of silence for the snickering to subside, I then continued on to say that my “frequent” volunteers would be rewarded at the end of the semester with a 4X6 colored glossy photo of my celebrity pet parakeet “Little Michael,” which she would personally autograph, and a choice feather collection would be taped on the back of each collector’s item photo.

A stampede ensued in each class as students darted up to write their names in every week’s slots. My biggest “new” problem was that I didn’t have enough jobs for all the eager beavers. I thought to myself, “Let me see if I understand this. For 3 years, I have been struggling to get any cooperation in monitor duties. Now, I offer a 50 cent photo of a parakeet, and I get an enthusiastic effort all semester long --- and I even have substitute monitors lined up in case of absences!”

I continued to use the parakeet photo system for the remaining 11 years that I taught at Escalon High School, and my only problem with it ever was that I couldn’t create as many monitor jobs as I had volunteers, so I had to give credit to my long list of substitutes just to maintain fairness.

Fun and interesting . . . that’s the key. I hope you will take some time to consider applications of these insights for your MLM organization. Remember what Einstein aptly observed:

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

Recruiting the Under-30 Set into Your MLM Business

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

One thing is clear to those of us who study the industry closely: many companies who appeal only to “older crowds” (yes, those my age) are largely flat right now . . . and some are seriously waning. Let’s face it; while many of you out there profess that your products are for everyone, clearly, some products have mass appeal for the teen and twenty-year-old crowds . . . and some products are clearly for geriatrics. If you are going after the under-30 crowd, you should know a few things.

There is an art to systematically recruiting young people. They like “fast food” health products like beverages (that taste good), protein bars, shakes, and services they use. They also like products that they see other teens and twenty-something’s using. They have to see themselves doing the business. Also, the compensation has to be realizable.

Young recruits like to know that they could win recognition or prizes that they actually would want. A contest that offers dirt bike prizes and beach vacations would go over bigger with the under-30 set than one offering Waterford crystal vases (however lovely they might be).

In order to attract and hold large numbers of young people, your company needs to update to some technology approaches. The under-30 set loves computers, cell phones, palm pilots, automated systems, and creative approaches.

Our company, for example, has a completely automated 24/7 office-to-office system that has phenomenal capabilities – everything from order tracking to finding out exactly how you can get out of debt, from point tracking for our latest company trip to entire downline volumes.

It is very frustrating having to call in during traditional office hours and then probably wait on hold to get this information. Furthermore, if there is one thing that I have found out is a turn off to the younger set, it is feeling like we (the geriatrics) don’t understand how they feel or what is important to them.

Let’s take major events, for example. Many companies have a stodgy band following a set program at these events (or no music at all). A lively disc jockey who knows how to mix it up can be a real magnet for young people and even a surprising boost of energy and fun for the rest of us.

Our company, in response to a major increase in young people, has used a popular disk jockey for some of our conferences, and it has been fun for all. Also, contests have actually made a lot of younger people work hard to be able to attend the events too, because they really didn’t want to miss the awards presentation. Re-design your recognition so that young people have a good shot at winning something. They certainly love recognition.

Making money-delayed gratification is generally a good thing, but you will find that twenty-year-olds like to eat regularly. You must adapt compensation so that those wanting to go “fulltime” or “big time” quickly could support themselves doing so.

Here are some guidelines to help you attract and hold the younger set in your program:
1. Be flexible;
2. Add products or services with youth appeal to your line;
3. Develop testimonials from young people to use as bait;
4. Revamp your contests with the under-30 crowd in mind;
5. Re-evaluate your prizes and trip destinations;
6. Use technology;
7. Have a very functional website with 24/7 organizational information available;
8. Have inexpensive replicating websites and a shopping cart for your distributors;
9. Re-evaluate your celebration evening at conventions to make it seem like a fun party;
10. Make sure the pay plan appeals to younger crowds;
11. Offer some recognition that young people can win during the beginning phase of a build;
12. Just love them! You have to enjoy your young distributors and make them feel welcome. A healthy goal would be to function like one big family, with every age group offering insights and wisdom.

If you re-examine your home-based opportunity with an eye toward its curb appeal for the young crowds, you just may discover a way to really expand your market position. As I conclude this, I realize something: I sure wish someone had worked to recruit me into network marketing a decade or two sooner!