You’ve heard the cliche: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make her drink.“ This is never truer than in direct sales. I frequently hear sponsors complain that they “Can’t get their team members to do anything.” or that they “Can’t get them to want what I want.”
That’s right. You cannot get another person to do what he/she does not want to do. Okay perhaps a mother can get a child to do something, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Those who are successful with their direct selling business are where they are because they wanted to be there.
Can’t be Successful Without Want
Some of the higher ranked direct sales consultants had great sponsors; some had lousy or nonexistent ones; and some had some that were so-so. Point being that their success was not contingent upon what their sponsor made them do. They’re successful in their independent businesses because doing so was important to them. They took whatever steps necessary to make it happen.
Consider if your son has an important ball tournament or if it’s mother/daughter day at school. Unfortunately you have a schedule conflict or your finances make it difficult for you to attend – for whatever reason. Point being, odds are against you to attend these events. However, wild horses couldn’t keep you away. You will do whatever it takes to reschedule your day or to work your buns off to get your little athlete and yourself to that tournament. You will sell plasma if that’s what it takes. You’ll go in to work Saturdays if you have to rearrange your day.
Conversely, your second cousin invited you over to watch her vacation photos or to play charades. She makes a killer cheesecake so you don’t mind seeing her now and then. But you have a date that night and quite frankly don’t really want to go to your cousin’s to watch image after image flash across her TV screen. Are you going to rearrange and pull out all the stops with the same vigor you would to make it to your son’s tournament? No. Probably not.
But what if your cousin tries this or that to convince you to forgo your date to play parlor games with her and to look at historical images of sights that don’t interest you much? Do you think your cousin will have much success trying to get you to do something you really don’t want to do? At best she may be able to guilt you into it, but it will probably be the last time she succeeds in that as you won’t answer the phone next time she calls or you’ll conveniently not get the text.
You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make her drink. So stop trying. Some will. Some won’t. So what. Someone’s waiting.
There are plenty others who would love to join your team. Instead of trying to get someone to do something that isn’t that important to them, use your time to find those who want to start and build a business.
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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, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland 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 https://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/
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