“I want to try going after customers more, and recruit less.
But my upline says if I do that he won’t support me, and he’ll just act like I am not part of their group. He’s also insisting I buy leads from the group, and I’d prefer not to. Should I just quit?”
How would you advise Lulu (not her real name)?
How would you advise her upline, Bert (not his real name)?
Lulu, my three questions for you are, 1) why did you start your business in the first place? What was your reason? What pain were you wanting to solve?; 2) How much money do you need to get rid of the challenge you want to solve?; 3) Which of the above 2 methods would be the best whay for you to earn the required amount?
The answers to these questions will help you find the right path to take in dealing with your upline.
If the profit you can earn through retailing your product/service will meet your financial goal, then by all means tell your upline ‘Thanks but no thanks, I’ll go it alone and if I find that my way works and I have a duplicable retailing system, I’ll be more than happy to share it with you and the team.’
Remember, your upline is not your boss. You do not have to do as you are told. They can’t fire you, and they can’t force you to quit. If your company allows it, you can always look to some other support group that has the same philosophy as you.
Godd luck, Lulu.
Heck yeah I’d quit. Lulu should take her GV to a group that will appreciate HER business goals. What part of “independent distributor” doesn’t Bert get?
If Ms:Lulu loves the products, then I would say to her be your own boss and say goodbye to her upline.
There are many different ways of building a network. It is like college:different majors, for different people.
Enrique
Dear Lulu: Stand strong and follow your heart. Work your business the way that feels right to you. Your upline has done a great job of showing you how not to act. That behaviour stops with you. You will treat your people differently. Go up past your upline and look for someone who will support you, even if you have to go all the way to the top. Someone in your company will be glad to work with you.
Dear Bert: Your style of leadership is not working for Lulu. Can you see the value of pairing Lulu up with someone who more closely matches, or can understand, her goals. It might be a good idea to help her by pairing her up with someone like-minded in the upline. That way, you can focus on what is important to you, and she can focus on what is important to her, and you both benefit.
Best of Luck,
Shelley Penney
http:ééwww.yourprospex.com
Lulu – you need to figure out WHY your upline is pushing sponsoring so hard. Look at your comp plan and the company policies and procedures. Does the comp plan pay for retailing product? Does it pay as well for your customer volume as it does for business builder volume? If your comp plan is structured where you and your upline do not make much on retail sales, that may be the reason for Bert’s response to you.
The business model does drive the behavior in the field. If you are not compensated for retailing, find another company that will treat you right. If your company does pay for retailing just as well as for recruiting, maybe you just need to educate Bert on that. He may not understand. On the other hand, he may understand the comp plan better and may know exactly what is going on. If the latter is the case – RUN to a new company where you can make money.
Roxanne@mommyroxy.com
Thanks, folks. Shelley – good attitude and roxanne, very true possibility…
Bossy sponsors: Word to the wise as this spreads.
I believe one thing that everyone missed is that the upline is insisting that she buy leads from the group. The leads are a profit center for the upline. I have seen this symptom before with a couple of the “older” companies. The plan doesn’t work the way Bert thought it would. I suspect that he has “garage qualified” more than once, and he HAS to make money somehow to keep his image.
Anyone who has been around the industryfor a while knows the companies this has happened to. It’s sad really.