Retention Rules

March 3, 2021 By admin Leave a Comment

Retention starts with recruiting. If your company isn’t recruiting new representatives, your business will grow smaller.

Retention is just as important as recruiting. Retention is keeping your recruited representatives active in the business as long as possible.

The impact of retention is huge. Do you know the average rate of retention of direct selling companies?

According to the Direct Selling Association, the average direct selling company retains only 20% of those enrolled one year earlier.

This means if your business enrolls 1000 representatives in January, one year later only 200 will still be active (if your retention rate is average).

A retention rate of 40% is great, while a retention rate of 50% or more is outstanding!

Here are some steps you can take to improve your rate of retention:

Retention begins as early as the day the representative receives his or her starter kit. Ensure that the kit provides a great first impression.
Within 24 to 48 hours of the receipt of the starter kit, follow up by telephone with each new representative to offer support and to answer any questions. Demonstrate that your company truly cares about each and every representative.
Design your income opportunity so that it is as easy, fun, and lucrative as possible. When an activity is easy and fun, people stick with it longer.
Not every sponsoring representative is a good trainer. Do your part to fill in the gaps. Offer company-provided training in multiple methods (including in-person training, telephone training, web training, and text-based training materials).
Listen to your sales force. They’ll tell you where they need help. When you listen, your sales representatives will feel that you value their input.
Set weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals. Most salespeople are very goal-oriented. Goals give people focus. Give your people focus!
Monetary rewards are great, but verbal and written recognition of achievements is just as important. While you sell products and/or services, view yourself as being in the recognition business. When you do this, your retention rate will improve appreciably.
The company’s attitude is contagious, so have a positive attitude. Also, show your enthusiasm and excitement. People like to be around others who are enthusiastic.
Get out on the road! You can’t lead a national or global sales force if you’re always in the office. When company leaders travel to visit with the sales force, many good things come as a result, one of which is a higher rate of retention!
Make communication with your sales force a top priority! Be consistent in your ongoing communication with your sales representatives. Become the support system that can be counted on, day in and day out.
When you do your part to improve retention, you’ll have happier independent representatives. Happy independent representatives are more productive. When they’re more productive, they’ll stay active longer.
Always follow the golden rules of customer retention.

Are you concerned about your rate of retention?

For an assessment of your business to help improve your retention rate, contact Sylvina Consulting at 503.244.8787.

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.

Jay Leisner and Victoria Dohr authored the top-rated book for new and young network marketing, referral marketing, and party plan companies, "Start Here: The Guide to Building and Growing Your Direct Selling Company".

Available in English and Spanish. This startup guide contains 250 pages of wisdom that will guide you through the right steps to start and continue on your journey to build a successful direct selling company.

You will save thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your time using the information you will read in our book.

In 1986, Jay began his career in direct selling by working for a major direct selling software provider. First as a software developer and later as a project leader and a business analyst, Jay worked closely with new and established network marketing and party direct selling companies to provide them with software solutions to meet their unique requirements.

Jay contributed in many ways to the success of large implementation projects for many companies. Jay also worked with dozens of smaller companies to assist each of them in various capacities to provide them with the systems they needed to help their businesses to grow faster.

Along the way while working with them, he learned the secrets of successful direct selling companies and the challenges faced by them. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Jay’s decision in 1999 to start Sylvina Consulting as a direct selling consulting company was driven by what he saw was a need for answers, advice, and solutions.

In 2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, and 2018, Jay gave presentations on compensation plans, recognition, and field leadership development at conferences held by the US Direct Selling Association.

He traveled to South Africa in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to conduct workshops on compensation plan design and recognition programs for member companies of the South African Direct Selling Association.

In 2017, Jay spoke at the Canadian Direct Sellers Association Meeting on the importance of recognition.

More than just a compensation plan expert, Jay is exceptionally skilled at advising new and established companies on business strategies. Before offering advice or solutions, he asks important questions to understand each client’s specific concerns and goals.

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