Everything worthwhile seems to have a rule attached to it.
When I was a child, the golden rule I learned was “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. I liked that rule because it felt good to be good.
Later, I learned about another golden rule and that one was “He or she who has the gold, makes the rules.” I liked that one, too, because I like gold and anything else that sparkles.
Direct selling has a rule, too, at least as it applies to direct selling companies. The golden rule of direct selling is “Make your income opportunity as easy, lucrative, and fun as possible.”
Easy
Always remember that your sales force is a volunteer army. That means they can up and quit whenever they want. To keep them engaged, you must make whatever they need to do as easy as possible. Simplify instructions. Provide training in bite-size pieces. Remove or modify the obstacles that are difficult to cross. Lighten their load whenever you can.
Lucrative
This business of being an independent representative has got to be worthwhile financially for the time put in. While you may think of other direct selling companies as competitors for your reps, in reality, the most important competitor is time. You must make the time spent by your reps financially rewardable. We recommend a minimum of $25 per hour for the time on the business.
Fun
While, yes, this is a business for your independent representatives, for many of them it is a hobby, too. Just as people don’t stick with hobbies that aren’t fun for them, they won’t stick as reps for your company unless this is fun for them, too. How do you make it fun? Start by building a celebratory culture, but don’t stop there. There is so much more you can do.
ELF
Easy + Lucrative + Fun = ELF.
When people hear the word “elf”, they smile. Elves are adorable and cute characters that make people feel good. While building and growing your company, you can be elflike, too, if you want by following that golden rule of direct selling.
Jay Leisner, the President of Sylvina Consulting, is a top compensation plan and direct selling expert, a trusted adviser to new and established network marketing and party plan companies. For more than 30 years, Jay has enjoyed assessing and improving network marketing, party plan and referral marketing companies across the globe.
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