Rant Frustrated New TL: Struggling to Help My Team Reach Success

[kayleigh]

I recently added 3 new consultants to my team (Promoted to TL March 1). 2 of which have qualified. 1 has not. I am having an issue in getting the point across that communication between me and them is the #1 key for me being able to help them effectively. I know I have left several messages with one girl on my team and no response. I leave several options in getting in touch with me (phone, email, text). I understand we are all busy.

One girl on my team, she is starting to recruit (great!!) but does not want my help??? In one sentence she is complaining she is overwhelmed but in the next does not want my help??? Am I just missing the boat here?:cry:

One girl says she has hit a block and it seems she doesnt want to see around it. I suggest anything and she has a reason why it can not be done. I have thought about asking her that instead of telling me why it can't be done; tell me why it can be? But without being blunt, I dont know how to ease that into the conversation??

I am just frustrated. I just got my team leader status and have worked very hard to earn it and I have two girls who I dont know will even turn in sales this month? I can not even reach them? Have any suggestions?

 

[babywings76]

Re: FrustratedI know it must be frustrating, but try to look at it from all perspectives. What is their "why" for being in the business? Were they wanting your help? This is their business and they may not be looking for a supervisor. (I don't mean that to sound harsh, please don't take offense. :blushing Some people like having support, but others might feel that it means one more person to have to be accountable to. The best you can do is be there for them, let them know you are there if they have any questions. You can help them with training or let them know of training opportunities. You can check in with them and leave them upbeat and motivating e-mails/voicemails. I'm not a successful recruiter, so my opinion might not really count for much, but those are my thoughts anyway. :blushing:Maybe some other Team Leaders and Directors can share what works for them.

 

[wadesgirl]

Re: FrustratedSome people want to be worked with an others don't! I have recruited a total of 8 people - 3 are no longer in the business, 3 submit whenever they feel like it and don't respond to any calls, emails, etc, 1 submits regularly and loves the help and the last just signed. Different people have different ways they want to handle things.

 

[lesliec]

Re: FrustratedI have to agree with Amanda; if they don't want help you just have to step back. I am new, and am a fairly needy recruit, and told my director/recruiter that from the beginning (although she already knew it b/c I was a needy hostess, too), but I am working my tail off. In the 6 weeks or so she has learned that I just need that motivational call every week. I am a people person, and in some ways, sitting home preparing for a show is so boring for me.
Also, they are going to be more motivated by seeing your successes than by your words. I watched my recruiter book all of my friends for shows less than a year ago, I had been to 4 or 5 shows before signing. I know she is successful, and I trust her.
I know it must be discouraging for you, but you just keep plugging along at your business, they will either follow along or they won't, but don't let them bring you down in the process.

 

[esavvymom]

Re: FrustratedI'm one of those recruits who doesn't really like being "bothered" by constant calls from my director or senior director to 'check-in' or giving me suggestions (and they do occasionally try to do this ). For ME, when this happens, it's like being reminded of how I'm failing to perform to my director's expectations. I have my life going on and a lot of things IN it that keep me going in a million directions - sometimes PC is NOT anywhere near the top of that list. I'm what you'd call "low-maintenance". I know where to get the information and training I need- most of it I've listened to or read already or even a few times! I know how to reach her when I DO want or need something....I get annoyed when someone keeps calling me though, at least if it's just to "check-in". So from that perspective, I'd say, let her/them be for awhile. Just be more casual and don't try to constantly check-in. Send your team newsletters, have your cluster meetings (make them fun and of value) - or if you aren't having your own meetings, hopefully you guys are involved in one that is fun and engaging. Send an email with general info about PC happenings or training info that you just wanted to share, etc. Keep the information where if they WANT it, they can get it without feeling the pressure. I realize you worked hard to get your team, but the fact of the matter is, they have to want it. No amount of coaching, calling, etc is going to make that any different. I know that I want something from my business, and I know what I need to do to get it. My director calling me just annoys me and makes me feel embarrassed and frustrated all the more. It doesn't help me really. And, she's learning that...I've even all-but told her (in not-so-many words ).I don't mean this post to sound snarky- just thought maybe having a perspective that was a bit different, not from the Leader's point, but from the one GETTING the phone calls....and maybe even to help see possibly WHY they aren't answering the phone? I don't answer when my biz is in the tank and I know I'm not doing what I need to be to make it better. I don't want to talk to my director and give her my excuses (I know they are just that- EXCUSES), and I don't want to be "challenged" to do something that isn't going to do anything but stress me out even further.Hope that helps??

 

[RMDave]

Re: FrustratedSome people are not interested in a supervisor ... maybe they can benefit, however, from a mentor.You have done what you can. You have made the offer of support and provided methods to contact you. Concentrate for the next 30 days on your shows/sales and recruiting. If they ask for help, give it. Otherwise, they're adults.

 

[esavvymom]

Re: Frustrated

Some people are not interested in a supervisor ... maybe they can benefit, however, from a mentor.

You have done what you can. You have made the offer of support and provided methods to contact you. Concentrate for the next 30 days on your shows/sales and recruiting. If they ask for help, give it. Otherwise, they're adults.

Leading by example! When they see you are successful, without it being pushed in their face of course, they may naturally be curious as to what you are doing.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Re: FrustratedOne thing my director has taught me to do, and it works well to relieve your stress and to help you help your team meet their goals is that she has us all fill out a survey at least once a year about our goals. (sorry, I don't have a file, just a hard copy) but it asks questions like:

What do you love best about PC?

What do you want most from your business?

How many shows a month/week would you like to be doing?

How much personal contact would you like from me? Weekly - Monthly - Other ______

How do you prefer I contact you? Phone ~ Email ~ I'll contact you when I need help....


Anyway, there's more to it than that - I'm just too lazy to go inside and look for it right now. But, it does help, because then you know more what they are thinking. I have a couple consultants where it's a pleasant surprise when they submit a show. I never hear from them, and I don't count on them for my monthly sales. I have a couple who struggle with bookings, and most of our contact is about that, and then I have my ones who are consistent and faithful to come to meetings....they're all different.

 

[kayleigh]

Re: FrustratedI appreciate everyones different point of views. I really like the idea of the survey. I asked each of them when they signed questions like this. Some of these may have changed. I guess my worst fear is that they would feel like I just didnt care if I didnt try. If that makes sense. I dont want to waste my time and I sure dont want to waste theirs.

I agree with esavvymom alot because I am that person!!! LOL I know what I need to do and I dont call my director unless I need something. She will periodically through email or phone call to check and see how my month looks. Not really supervising just out of curosity and friendship.

Thanks again!!! I truley appreciate your opinions. Its nice to hear it from someone else for a change!!

 

[kayleigh]

Re: Frustratedi am interested in these questions in the survey chef becky d when you get a chance. thanks

 

[loreo]

Re: FrustratedFrom Tammy Stanley's blog:

It’s the Small Things
April 16th, 2010 Lately I have been hearing the same question over and over from leaders - how do I get my team to do something? If the answer to that question were simple, my guess is that no one would be asking it (and I wouldn’t have a job!). In other words, if it were easy, the solution would be apparent and everyone would already know what to do.

My answer to this question is loaded, and there is simply no way that I can answer it completely in a short blog or article. However, my goal today is to get you on the right path to true leadership because ultimately the people on your team want a leader they can follow. Truly, all people want a leader they can follow, even leaders!

I can remember a particular leader I knew during my direct sales career. We both came into the business around the same time, but I became a leader six months to a year before her. When she reached the leadership rank alongside me, I was so happy for her, but for numerous years she really struggled to keep her team going. This is not meant to sound boastful, as I do not intend it that way at all, but it was difficult for me to spend much time with her at the leadership meanings because our paths were so different - I had one of the top million dollar sales teams within a year and a half while she was barely maintaining her rank. We seemed worlds apart and because of that we had difficulty keeping up our friendship.

Then one year at a leadership meeting, she was highlighted as one of the managers whose team had grown by more than five hundred percent. I remember being in the audience and thinking that she had to be doing something different. I could not wait to congratulate her and find out what had caused this phenomenal change.

When I met up with her, it was like a reunion with a dear friend. She was more than happy to share with me the secret of her newfound success. (I have to share with you that I have started to tear up just thinking about it. The reason why is because her secret is so simple that I fear you might dismiss it. I implore you to read this entire post before you decide to dismiss it or not.)

She said to me, “Tammy, I finally decided that I just had to look for and accent the positive things that were going on in my unit, even if the things that were positive were seemingly insignificant.” She shared that the transformation was not overnight, but little by little, her team began to respond, and by the end of a year, her entire team had transformed.

Years ago I lived in the mountains of Evergreen, Colorado. One of the best things about living there was that every six months or so doctor Foster Cline would present a free talk at our local elementary school. Dr. Cline is an internationally known child psychologist, and I will always remember one of his simple rules of thumb. If you have an ill-behaved 2-year old and you start to implement Dr. Cline’s strategies of natural and logical consequences, you probably will not see a transformed 2-year old for two months. If you have an ill-behaved 13-year old teenager, you probably will not see a transformed teenager for thirteen months. In other words, the longer the behavior patterns are a part of someone’s experience, the longer they take to transform. According to Dr. Cline, you can figure about a month for each year of a previous behavior.

If you want to lead a team to transform, you cannot expect overnight results. You must be committed to a process. If you have been doing certain things for a number of years, expect that you may not see things change for a few months.Be as committed to change as you have been to your “this-is-the-way-I-have-always-done-it” mentality.

Sometimes we tend to dismiss ideas like the one my friend shared that turned her business around. Looking for and accenting the positive things can sound rather easy and trivial on the surface, but you never know when your positive encouragement or recognition really might be the only sunshine in one’s day. Interestingly, the very people who say, “I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work,” are often the ones complaining that their sales team is dead from the feet up. It may appear that your sales team is dead from the feet up; I can tell you that my friend’s sales team appeared that way for years. But her team changed when she changed. Her team responded when she became a true leader.

To be a great leader you have to be someone others would want to follow. Your team knows how you think about them, even if you never express it verbally. Humans are emotional beings and they definitely pick up on your vibrations.

If your sales team appears to barely be active right now, I want you to let go of that image and look for the positive things that are going on, no matter how small. I want you to focus on those positive things and be truly grateful for them. It is the grateful heart that makes room for more. Think about that. If you had two friends, and you gave each of them a wonderful gift, which friend would be most likely to receive something from you again – the friend that complained that the gift you gave her was not as big as she wanted, or the friend that expressed deep gratitude for thinking of her? Hmm… pretty easy to see why grateful hearts make room for more, isn’t it?

Leaders inspire others to be more than what they are right now. If you want yourteam to perform more than they are right now, you have to inspire them. Negativity does not inspire people. Look for the positive things in your business, in your sales team, in your life. They are there. Once you see them and feel grateful for them, you will make room for more.

 

[pampchefsarah]

Re: FrustratedKayleigh, everyone has made great points here. I just want to add two things:

1) Are you contacting them because you want to keep your TL status and pay raise? Or, do you want to help them succeed for their own sake? When my AD calls at the end of a month I haven't yet submitted sales, and we've already received the team update e-mail saying that team sales are too low - I know she's only calling to see if she's keeping her status for that month. My Director, on the other hand, is there for me ALL month, encourages me all the time, treats me as a leader on her team, and is as much my non-PC friend as my PC Director.

2) What you're going through right now is going to happen - a lot (just for your Rae, I wanted to type alot). The best thing you can do is keep working on building your team, so you're not relying on just 2 or 3 people each month.

I'll be watching your posts, and look forward to doing the same happy dance for you that we're doing for ChefBeckyD this month!!

 

[Sheila]

Re: FrustratedI agree with the "mentor" attitude. I tell all of my recruits and constantly remind them, that it is THEIR business. I'm here to guide them and answer questions, not to decide how much or how little that they work. As of an hour ago, I now have a 10th member on my team and I only started recruiting in August. I'm getting better as the months pass at being supportive. I didn't really have much of a clue what to do for the first couple of girls. But now I ask them what they want out of Pampered Chef? If they are just wanting to do the bare minimum to get the discount I can't give them a hard time! That's the EXACT reason that I signed 2 years ago! LOL But as time went on, my goals changed. I never EVER planned to recruit. I had ZERO desire in "pushing" the business opportunity. And that's how I saw it ... as being pushy! Now I think it's fun to extend the opportunity & watch them get excited when they excel. I've had a couple who signed at the end of a month for a certain incentive and not submitted sales in that last 2-3 days of the month to be "active", but they did good the first full month in the business. So far, none of them have gone "inactive". They have gotten the booking ball rolling & kept it rolling! I'm so proud of each and every one of them.I'm also the personality who doesn't like to be hounded. My upline is so laid back, yet supportive. When I was hosting and the consultant called to see where I was at on RSVP's, I hated it!!! So I try to keep those feelings in check when I'm talking to my hostesses and to my recruits.My husband is a tree. LOL His roots are firmly planted and he's impossible to move (motivate). I'm water. You block my path and I WILL find a new one! Everyone has a different personality. You just have to figure out how to be their support system and not be their "boss". I agree, recruit more than you need! That way, if one doesn't perform, or if that recruit's circumstances change and he/she quits PC, you are not paying the consequence. All of my recruits know that my success depends on their success. But I don't pressure them to perform. If their goal is 1 show a month or 12 shows a month, I'm here to support them in trying to accomplish their own goal.

 

[mailgirl1978]

Re: FrustratedKayleigh~ I am in the EXACT same boat!!!! I have just ended my first 60 days and have recruited 5....
One of them will NOT call me back....one seems to not even be trying! The other three are doing fairly well but only one of them has qualified so far....
I guess I'm so new myself I don't know how to lead them yet........

 

[BadGirl]

Re: FrustratedMy Team Lead send out e-mails at least once per day, and for the most part, I delete them all without even opening them up. I find them intrusive in to my personal time, and frankly, they are annoying. Selling PC is supposed to be fun, but with all of the emails and, it is turning out to be more pressure than I need or want in my life. Her intent to engage me is having the total opposite effect. I now want to quit.

Really, I just want to be left alone, to do my one or two SUCCESSFUL catalog shows per month. I don't want to go to monthly Team Meetings, I don't want to go to conferences, I don't want to listen to training videos. My way may not be the desired path to the Higher Ups at PC, but it works for me.

I've got enough in my life to deal with, that to see three e-mails from her setting in my In-Box just ticks me off to no end.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Re: Frustrated

My Team Lead send out e-mails at least once per day, and for the most part, I delete them all without even opening them up. I find them intrusive in to my personal time, and frankly, they are annoying. Selling PC is supposed to be fun, but with all of the emails and, it is turning out to be more pressure than I need or want in my life. Her intent to engage me is having the total opposite effect. I now want to quit.

Really, I just want to be left alone, to do my one or two SUCCESSFUL catalog shows per month. I don't want to go to monthly Team Meetings, I don't want to go to conferences, I don't want to listen to training videos. My way may not be the desired path to the Higher Ups at PC, but it works for me.

I've got enough in my life to deal with, that to see three e-mails from her setting in my In-Box just ticks me off to no end.

Sounds like this is causing you a lot of frustration and bitterness. Perhaps you need to have a frank conversation with your team leader?

 

[kayleigh]

Re: FrustratedAll of you bring up valid points.

To answer pamperedchefsarah's question: I contact them for both reasons to be honest. I want to help guide them and make sure they dont need any help or guidance as well as find out their plans for the month. This better helps me help them. My director is the same way. She likes to know what it going on. She does not make it seem like she is trying to make her sales goal, she makes it more a personal phone call like I have attempted to do. I would be lying if I said that it had nothing to do with my own success. I am here to answer questions all the time with them. I also call at different times of the month, so it not like I just call for sales. But I do see what you arw saying. : )

Shelia: Do you call and check in with your new recruits? How do you go from making sure they know you are there for them without them thinking you never touch base. I guess that is my biggest fear. I do not want them to think I dont ever call. I want them to know I am here. I am always available to answer questions, no matter what, which they have experienced. I guess how do you Mentor and not supervise? I know we all joined for a certain reason which may change in the future... I do see what you are saying.

Badgirl: I can so see how you would be frustrated. I would be too. I do not call if I send an email; I would suggest as ChefBeckyD did, to definitly call and talk with her directly.

I truly appreciate all your help!!!!!

 

[Sheila]

Re: FrustratedI don't normally call them. Our cluster does a LOT of booths, so I'll send out booth opportunities via e-mails (I do a lot of my contact by e-mail because I have a 1 year old & a 2 year old who make it difficult for me to really carry on conversations a lot of the time). But I also have an open door policy. Any of them can call at any time and ask a question. Rarely do I have to ask if I can return their call later, I usually stop what I'm doing to make time for them when they call me.I also don't sign consultants on the spot at a show. I encourage them to get their ducks in a row (get some shows lined up) and THEN sign up 2-3 days before their first show. As long as they work with me and my calendar, I go with them to their first show to be present & answer any questions that may stump them. I'm learning how important it is to let THEM be the consultant and me just be there for support. By having them hold show #1 very quickly after signing, it really does maximize their potential 30/90 day earnings because they can still book shows off that one in the needed time frame. When they start off strong, they are finding it easier to keep it going. And, because they know that I'm making it about THEM and not me, the comfort level is there for them to come ask questions when needed.Have I lost a couple of potentials using that method? Yup. Do I care? No. It's more important for me to KNOW that they've thought this through and that it's really what they want to do. If they leave all excited & then decide over the next day or two that they don't want to do it, I don't get offended. I completely respect their decision. Heck I still need customers too! I would rather them change their mind before signing than to decide it's not for them after they have signed. It's all part of my Police Department background. It took soooo freaking long there to train a new employee, that I made sure in the interviews that they really wanted THIS position, not just "any" position. I'd rather spend months training & molding one good employee vs. spending a few days or weeks on multiple people who are going to bail out and not finish training. I've carried over that attitude with PC. If they really TRULY want it, they WILL do what it takes to get going. Don't get me wrong, I help them! But I don't do the work for them. If one of their friends already has a show booked with me, I let them have it. If they signed before we closed the show that they hosted, they get that show as their first AND all the bookings off of it. And I offer them opportunities to work booths. If I'm talking to a customer who wants to book a show, I turn around, point at my new recruit & explain that I'm about to PCS (military move to another location) and that my partner is trying to get her business up & off the ground here in Okinawa and ask if it's okay if she does the show. 99% of them will say yes. That has made a HUGE difference for a lot of my recruits. They are outside their circle right off the bat! We do monthly cluster meetings so that's an opportunity to see most of them face to face. But I don't get mad if someone fails to show. I'm sad that they didn't make it to the meeting, but I don't go ask them why they "failed to show up" to a meeting. Again, it's THEIR business. I'm not their boss, I'm just their mentor. And I work really hard at making sure that the meetings are fun, not another "chore". We did have them do dream boards earlier in the year, but I don't normally send them home with homework to complete & return at the next meeting. Nor do I ask them to bring a recipe or "perform" at the meetings. We do our meetings with another cluster, and that leader does like to do all the little "tasks" in the meeting planning guide. I do more informative stuff. Like "spring launch" here at my house with the slide show that I had made of all the new products. This month they got to see the secret product that they can earn in May and I gave them a printout of my earnings over the last 4 months. It showed what I would have made as a Consultant, what I would have made as a SC, what I did make as a TL & what I could have made as a Director with the sales of our team. They were all pretty much floored at the differences in the amounts. It was great motivation for them that they can make more for doing the same work with a team under them. If it motivates them to start recruiting, GREAT! If not, that's okay too! I had ZERO intentions of recruiting and didn't for my first 17 months. My first recruit was in Aug and now I have 10 in my down line. So if they are not interested in recruiting, it's okay! And I have one girl who's come to the last 2 cluster meetings as a guest. She wants to sign, but her husband is not being supportive. But she still likes to be included. If she decides to sign, she'll make my SC a TL and we'll be very happy to have her on our team. If not, it's okay too. I'd rather her get the support of her husband and do good vs. fighting with him over this and dropping out. I've learned that timing is everything and I do my best to convey that to them now.The result seems to be a closer bond with each of them. I feel like I have "friends" on my team, not just "recruits" on my team.