In the direct sales industry it’s not uncommon to have team meetings on a monthly or quarterly basis. If you have the same organizer(s) or presenter(s) each time, team members can get a feel for what to expect. Then once realistic expectations are set, it will decrease the likelihood of consultants being disappointed because they were hoping to learn something different at the meeting.
It’s been my experience that there are basically three types of meetings in direct selling:
- Get together and share ideas
- Awards, announcements and maybe a presentation
- Classic business meeting, where it’s all about the training and information
In my opinion, the first two are more typical of what you see in direct sales and more indicative of team meetings. Many enjoy this and that’s why they attend meetings. I, on the other hand, am all about option 3 – the business meeting. My knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and education are all in business, so I tend to treat my business and my mentoring of team members more like a traditional business.
I am used to and prefer meetings that have an agenda that is floated around prior to the meeting and ones that start on time and end on time. We’re all busy people; tell us what we need to know, stay on track, and let us get on with the rest of our day. I pride myself that I RMBLAB (Run My Business Like a Business).
I’m all for team bonding, acknowledgement and celebration but my opinion is that it doesn’t belong in an event called a meeting. I would prefer to see it called a Team Celebration or something of that nature. If I went to something called a meeting and it wasn’t meaty with information, I’d be disappointed and frustrated as my time is at a premium.
So what’s my point? Where am I going with all this?
Some people think they conduct fabulous meetings. Some consultants love going to meetings; some consultants refuse to go; some go and then grumble all the way home. I contend that expectations are not met because the purpose of the meeting was not thoroughly communicated in advance.
Have you ever accidentally picked up someone’s glass, only to take a sip and realize it was not at all what you expected? I have (blech for sweet tea) – it’s the same deal with meetings. If it’s not what you expected, it may leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Follow these three tips to ensure your meetings are productive and well received:
- Make certain the purpose of the meeting is clearly defined in advance. When you announce the date and time of the meeting also send the agenda to your team so they can make an informed decision if the content is something that specifically pertains to them or that they could use assistance with. Don’t keep it a surprise.
- Respect everyone’s time. Have a definite start and end time. Stay on topic.
- Be concerned with quality, not quantity. Who cares if only five people showed up when you discussed policies and procedures or compensation. Those who showed up are the ones who wanted to learn. I’d rather have a tiny group who are there to learn, than a room full of attendees impatiently waiting for freebies and only half listening at best.
Here’s to success. See you at the top.
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/ or for updates on Facebook LIKE www.facebook.com/ThrivingCandleBusiness and twitter @directsalesblog
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