Training
September 2010
Coaching Tips – On the Secrets of Building Large Fast-Growing Groups in Direct Sales
When I was on a world speaking tour with Robert Kiyosaki, the famous author of many bestselling books, he said to me in Newcastle, UK, “if people could learn how to sell, they would overcome most of the challenges in business.” He was right, and that is the essence of this article.
I feel qualified to share some training tips with readers of Direct Selling News Europe, having spoken in front of full-capacity audiences at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, and to thousands of Distributors worldwide. Recently I spoke at a function for Joe Pici in Orlando, Florida. Joe is a leading Distributor, who has been building his organisation for over 20 years, and afterwards he wrote this: “Bernie’s motivational and inspirational speech helped us double our number of Distributors, increasing the retention and productivity of volume per head.”
During my career in direct sales, before moving on to be a master speaker and trainer in this field, I have driven the miles, taken rejection and came through the other side a winner. For you the reader this means I know through experience that this stuff works!
I have spoken in over 40 countries about this wonderful profession of direct selling and I know these tips have universal application. When it comes to their needs, people are generally the same all over the world.
My journey in building successful teams starts with my experience in the Royal Air Force, as a Physical Training Instructor. For me this was the foundation in communication, motivation and leadership for developing winning teams.
It was here from a phone box and with no car I started my direct selling career. Two years later I left the Royal Air Force to go full-time into sales, earning several times more money and building up to a down-line of several thousand Distributors.
So let’s now move onto my three key coaching points, which will give you the secrets of successful direct selling to build large profitable groups.
Creating new business and helping Distributors to become profitable in the first 90 days.
Creating ongoing referrals, for customers and Distributors.
Increasing client loyalty.
Coaching Tip Number 1 – How do you help your distributors make a profit in the first 90 days?
The challenge most new team members have is that they are excited and run without knowledge. This ends in frustration and loss of money and credibility. Does that sound familiar? Over the years I have written self-help manuals and workbooks, and delivered speeches around the world, and this challenge is universal. So how do we overcome this?
The secret is how people are set up in the beginning; it is easier to straighten a crooked tree early than to leave it a few years. We only have one real opportunity to make a difference, and it is from the very beginning. These three words will help:
- Learn
- Do
- Teach
In this order! Many try and teach before they have done anything.
To put this incredible yet simple tip into action, the first step is to build a list of names – a big list. Do not pre-judge responses; just write your list on paper. This will give you confidence, posture and a base for Distributors and customers. Think of new people like young babies; you give them the support they need. In this way you can monitor their attitude, as it will be up and down in the early days!
When people have customers, when they identify down-line Distributors leading to a profit, they stay longer in the business, and are ready to move on to the next step. Remember, the honeymoon period finishes in less than 90 days. People quit if they do not make money or believe they will not make money.
A quote from Steve Morley, M.D., of Tiens UK, after I spoke to his Distributors at a recent sales seminar:
“You touched everyone and the feedback has been electric! We have doubled our meeting attendance numbers, our recruitment and retention of Distributors is up and our productivity per head is also increasing.”
Coaching Tip Number 2 – Creating Ongoing Referrals
Once people have depleted their initial list, they can be left frustrated and concerned. The skills of ongoing contact and networking are essential for fresh referrals and prospecting. After I learned these skills, my own direct selling business brought me 26 frontline distributors in 30 days, and I had thought I had exhausted my list!
The referral and prospecting process will ensure you always have a potential to create a new down-line. Your confidence will grow on an ongoing basis and you will never be short of new people to talk with, and the world of direct sales will take a new direction for you.
Coaching Tip Number 3 – Increasing Client Loyalty
Increasing client, customer and Distributor loyalty will protect your valuable investment in people. Some leaders are so focused on getting new people into their business that they don’t pay enough attention to their existing team members, who can then feel neglected.
My expertise in human behaviour has taught me how to maintain the trust and confidence of your team. Dysfunctional teams lack trust. Strong leadership is required to keep large growing groups motivated. The key to developing the skills of understanding your team members is to practice ‘different strokes for different folks’. Yes, it takes time and energy, but individual contact and encouragement makes the difference.
At The Global Coaching Company I license this team training information to individuals, and I have several coaches who make a good living from teaching these skills. I have explained the model of human behaviour recently to senior leaders in the UK police force, solicitors and also the England Women’s cricket team, as I believe it helps all types of teams to work effectively together.
For further information, go to www. theglobalcoachingcompany.com.
For conferences and workshops you can contact Bernie directly on .
Bernie De Souza is a leading authority on human behaviour, the CEO of The Global Coaching Company and a bestselling author. He has reached the pinnacle of his 20-year career as a Distributor in the field of direct selling in the UK. Here he shares three of the key secrets to success, in the form of coaching tips.
