Welcome Packets for New Team Members

Each morning, I check my team "stats" on our consultant website to see if any new team members were added to our team the previous day. I send out the following for new team members:

• a welcome e-mail (with link to a website with some training) - I cc the sponsoring demonstrator on this e-mail so she knows what I've sent out
• e-mail invitation to join our team message board
• evite to our upcoming team meeting
• a "welcome packet" (sent by "snail mail")

For my welcome packets, I use a regular paper folder and include:

• 2 sheets of stickers from www.thebooster.com, one sheet of booking stickers & one sheet of sponsoring stickers
• a 2 page training packet
• a 3 page packet "about our team" that talks about our current team goals, what incentives we do as a team, places to get training, and a calendar of our team meetings for the entire year
• "genealogy chart", a list of their upline, all the way up to me & our contact information
• a "top 10" list of what to do/not to do when getting started

Our company's consultant website shows my team, 5 levels deep, so that is what I work with, sending all welcome information listed above to all new team members 5 levels deep.

Olympic Teams

So, one more thought from the Olympics! There is so much to relate to our direct sales teams!

The US men's gymnastic team suffered a devastating loss as 2 of their major stars were injured and could not compete. The team had to bring in 2 alternates and was not expected to medal at all. But the team started and had some great routines and with each great routine, the team's momentum and excitement grew and they continued to perform much better than expected. Unfortunately, it worked the same way later on as there were some big mistakes made and then it seemed like momentum drug them in the opposite direction with more mistakes and lowered spirits and expectations. In the end, the momentum at the beginning was enough to make up for the mistakes at the end and the team won the Silver medal!

I think it works the same way for our direct sales teams. As we succeed together, we gain momentum and excitement and working as a team makes that momentum and excitement so much more than working alone. As we set goals for our teams to reach, its important to set goals that, while stretching ourselves, are still achieveable so that the team will gain positive momentum from their successes!

Working as a Team

Wow! I had the chance to see the Men's 4x100 freestyle relay swimming race last Sunday. I had been watching the swimming races and they were exciting to watch, with the winners pumping their arms and being excited after winning. But it was nothing like the excitement of seeing a TEAM win TOGETHER! As the teammates watched the race from the side of the pool they were yelling and cheering, full of excitement and when the US team won, they were hugging each other and jumping up and down with so much excitement that you couldn't help being thrilled just watching them.

If you got a chance to see this race (or if you can search it out and find a replay of it online), I would encourage you to close your eyes and replay it in your mind and then imagine your team doing the same thing. What a wonderful feeling we could create in our teams!

Each swimmer of the relay had to do their part alone, but they were part of a bigger picture, working together towards a team win and the whole team cheering each person to success. Our direct sales teams should be the same way. We should be so excited for each other as each individual strives for their own success and also looking forward to succeeding as a team.

Learning Together

We just had a great company convention! They keynote speakers were great: Karen Phelps (www.karenphelps.com) and Cynthia Kersey (www.unstoppable.net). By the way, I found Cynthia Kersey's "Unstoppable Women Challenge" several months ago & have seen phenomenal results in my life this year as I've put it to work for me, setting 30 day goals & doing just one thing a day toward that goal. My house & life are more organized than ever before, I made some great advancements in my business & am now working & succeeding at losing my pregnancy weight & then some!

But I was also reminded about the great things that we can get from other consultants. Whether they're from your own company or other companies, make sure you regularly network with consultants in the direct sales business. Share your ideas with each other, learn from each other, and help to motivate & inspire each other. Of course, team meetings are a great place to do this as well!

Thoughts on "teams"

I'm busy getting ready for our company convention this week. I've been asked to help conduct a workshop on team goals & am gathering lots of thoughts that I will be posting next week! If you have questions on working with a team, please post a comment & I'll try to answer those as well. Working with my team has been my main focus for the last year & a half (at least!) and I've learned a lot!

Company Conventions

I believe attending annual company conventions is an important part of the direct sales business for anyone who wants to excel in their business. A lot of these conventions are held during the summer time.

If you have already attended or are getting ready to attend your company convention . . . congratulations on taking this great step! Make the most of your convention experience by taking some time to go over your notes & determine how you'll put the new ideas you came away with into practice.

If you weren't able to attend your company convention this year, make plans to attend next year. Start saving now & working with your family calendar so you can make sure you get there . . . you won't regret it!

Reward Referrals

I recently got a $20 gift certificate in the mail as a "thank you" for referrals that I have sent to a company that I do business with. Wow, was I surprised, thrilled, and impressed! Occasionally sending out a small thank you gift & card to a good customer who refers her friends to you is such a great idea & will keep the referrals coming! Even the smallest of gifts can make a difference.

If you have any great ideas of inexpensive gifts that can be given or are willing to share what you do, please leave a comment to this post!

Favorite Resource

Just thought I'd share one of my favorite resources. I love the daily tips that I receive in my e-mail from http://www.thesuccessfactory.com/. Some very practical ideas that can be put into motion in my business & tips that I can pass on to my team. If you haven't visited their website, I'd suggest a trip there. They have some good training products, but you'll for sure want to sign up for their free e-newsletter!

Dose of Inspiration!

One of my favorite sources of great inspiration for life & business is http://www.simpletruths.com/.

They have amazing books with great life lessons, most of which are perfect for business & working with a team. But they also put out free short movies with some of their books. Here's the one I got from them today . . . I think you'll like it!

http://www.finishstrongmovie.com/

Exercise Your Business!

Do you have a morning exercise routine in your schedule? For the last 2 weeks, I've gotten a new routine as I'm going to the local high school track to workout each morning. Here's some business benefits I'm seeing:

1. I get up at 5am and am home by 6:30, which gives me an hour & a half to get some work done before my baby wakes up! By getting an early start & starting my day out with exercise, it also makes me more productive for the rest of the day.

2. I wear t-shirts from past years' company conventions to work out in. Today, someone stopped me and said, "I've been wondering what 'Convention' your shirts are from?" which opened a business conversation for me with someone new!

3. Today, I took along an mp3 player with some business educational & inspirational recordings. I'm starting my day out thinking about my business, the creative juices are flowing, and it helped my workout time go by a lot faster. This is the ultimate in multi-tasking! Your body gets the benefits of exercise & while you work your business!

Start an exercise routine today & see what it can do for your business!

Stock Up On School Supplies

This is a great time of year to stock up on those things that you use most in your business. Folders, pens, notebooks & more are on sale as kids are going back to school. Stocking up now on the things you'll use in your business during the next year will save you loads of money!

Lapboard Tip:
Purchase inexpensive 3 ring binders, cut the ring section off & you'll be left with 2 "lapboards". Lapboards are sturdier than folders for use at your home parties, they don't have to be replaced very often & you're more likely to get them back at the end of a party instead of having guests walk off with them. In the long run, making your own, inexpensive lapboards now will save you money over buying & replacing folders.