The R Word

Subject: Recruiting Mindset – Part 1
When I got involved in party plan 20 plus years ago, we were taught that there were five basic reasons people got started in the business:
1) Money – and I want to work from home, flexibly!
2) Social – I want to make new friends & I love parties!
3) Recognition – I just LOVE to walk across stage!
4) Product – I LOVE everything in the catalog!
5) Mission driven – I LOVE how this company improves people’s lives!
To that list I would add a sixth reason (my reason for joining):
6) Need a life – HELP! I’m home with my kids – I love them, but I’m pretty sure my ‘grown-up’ mind has left my body!
Truth be told – reason number six is probably just a variation on reasons number two and three. BUT, the bottom line was that I got involved with my company to sell product – nothing more, nothing less. That first year that I was in business I wore a recruiting blindfold.
I sold product like crazy – and loved every minute of it. “But”, I told my recruiter/manager, “don’t even TALK to me about the ‘R’ word. I don’t want to ‘do’ that to anyone.”
An interesting attitude, wouldn’t you agree? It was birthed from an unpleasant experience with an overly ambitious consultant from another party plan company who – in her attempts to sign me – did lots of talking, very little listening and was more interested in advancing her status in her company than being sensitive to my needs and concerns. I had vowed never to be that party plan lady. I didn’t want people to run the other way when they saw me coming.
However, in hindsight, I realize that there were many friends who crossed my path that first year who were genuinely interested in joining me in the business. As I replay conversations with different individuals in my mind – I realize they were asking all the right questions and I was giving all the right answers. I never took it a step further and asked them if I could share business information with them. Because, you see, I didn’t do that part of the business.
Do you or your team members need help getting into a recruiting mindset? Don’t miss tomorrow’s Part 2 of this mini-series on The Recruiting Mindset.