My boys recently finished their basketball season at the church league, where my husband has been their coach year after year. For 10 seasons now, I’ve sat in the stands watching my men on the court and on the sidelines. It’s been good family fun and a good application of the life lessons we teach our kids.
My husband’s philosophy in playing sports is that practice is very important. Those who show up to practice are awarded with more play time because they can be trusted to make the plays and typically perform better on the court. Furthermore, he believes that regular season games are really preparation for the tournament at the end of the season, where a trophy is the prize. A big shiny, beautiful trophy. A symbol of your hard work, dedication, and talent. A reminder for years to come of what you have accomplished and a signal for what more you can accomplish in the future.
This philosophy translates to home party sales perfectly. And it serves as a game plan to achieve company contests and promotions.
First, comes practice which includes running drills and being coached. Before you can just jump out on the court and make some clean, skillful plays and score points, you’ve got to lace up your shoes and dribble up and down the court in practice. As a direct seller, this means get out there and meet the people. Talk about your business, your products, your hostess plan… and book those parties. Be open to feedback from an observer (your recruiter, manager, or upline, or a business coach) so you can learn to do things better with consistent results. Practice this over and over until you have it down pat.
Your home parties are like “regular season games.” You get out there and play the game and score points. As long as you are learning and making some money, each party is like a game you are winning. It’s preparation for the company contest period.
When I coach people, we go through a cycle of “action-challenge-result-debrief.” During coaching calls, we talk about what the direct seller did (the action) and what was challenging (the good challenge and the difficult), then we design a new challenge for the week ahead. She brings that experience to the next call to debrief and start the cycle again.
So, what went well at that “regular season party”? What worked, what didn’t, what can you improve upon, what went so well that you will do that again? And then get back out there at the next party and play your heart out once again!
The tournament at the end of the regular season is your company’s incentive period. Many direct sellers are preparing for summer conferences right now. Those of you who had many parties earlier in the year are probably in good shape to earn awards at your conference. All your “regular season” work is being put to use as you are in the final stretch of your company’s award qualifications period.
Your practice and playtime pays off during the incentive period. You know how to book those parties and recruit hostesses. You know how to ratchet up the number of guests at the party and upsell for greater sales per party. During the incentive period you are applying all the skills you’ve gained and your playing all out during these important weeks.
Sometimes it’s a minor adjustment in the way we think about things that makes the difference. Thinking about your “work” as “play” can be so refreshing! It’s more fun and creative and makes the conditioning, the playing, and the goal interesting!
Always remember that the regular ole things you do such as booking parties and holding parties consistently helps you win big and earn awards at your version of the “end of season tournament”.
I’m Coach Julie Stroud, and I’m cheering you on toward your highest and best!
Julie Stroud is a coach, trainer, speaker, and author of the upcoming book What It Takes to Build It Big. She has “the blueprint to build it big” in the home party business. For more information, please visit http://www.aspirecoaches.com or follow her at http://www.facebook.com/aspirecoaches.
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