How field development can better reflect an evolving channel.
No one would argue that direct selling is evolving at a faster pace than we’ve ever experienced before. But is our field development keeping up with it?
In the case of most of the clients I work with, the clear answer is “no.”
Many companies are rushing to adopt new approaches and new programs to attract today’s social sellers, and—in doing so—many of the tried-and-true “best practices” of our channel are being questioned and even tossed aside like never before.
In addition, if we’re being honest, many of us don’t have the expertise in some of these new areas that we are used to having. Of course, we can learn and grow, and we do. And yet the pace of change often makes what we learn today irrelevant tomorrow.
Sometimes it can feel like “direct selling” these days really isn’t “direct selling” at all.
At the same time, I caught myself smiling as I listened to a recent episode of the Direct Approach podcast when Rudy Revak reminded us all of the importance of “building the people, and then the people build the company.” When you’ve witnessed this “building of people” in real life, like so many of us have over years and years in direct selling, you understand that’s what truly hooks us, above all else. At a time when it’s so easy to toss aside some of the clichés of our space, I find myself terribly reluctant to toss that one aside.
But what does “building the people” look like now?
I’m of the opinion that, for most companies, how we think of “field development” in today’s world should look considerably different than what we’re all used to. It doesn’t mean the principles of what we’ve been doing for decades are irrelevant, but it does mean the methods and even the primary focus of those efforts will lag behind if we aren’t deliberate about how field development evolves alongside every other part of our operation.
Ready for a field development evolution? Here are some thought-starters worthy of some discussion at your office!
Training and Development Need to Match Our Programs
Direct selling companies have been launching all kinds of new programs as part of the evolution of our space. Comp plan updates; affiliate programs; customer rewards, etc. But our training has not been keeping up with it. Which often only further confuses distributors. Every new program deserves two types of training: an orientation, which shows you the details of how the program works, and then the onboarding, which shows distributors practical examples of how to work the program. Orientation helps me understand it; onboarding helps me “get on board” and excited about using it. They are two sides of the same coin. Orientation without onboarding is boring and stale; onboarding without orientation is often just hype.
I’ve often been guilty of focusing on the orientation, assuming the onboarding piece is self-evident. It never is. If we’re going to lead a volunteer army well, we need to leave no man behind when it comes to orientation and onboarding.
Don’t Launch It Unless You Can Lean into It
Building off the last point, whether it’s a program, a new tool—whatever—don’t launch it and leave it. Thanks to a near constant launch of new products, programs, tools and more, those of us at the home office are forced to move from one launch to the next and pay little attention to truly incorporating that new thing into what we do for months to come.
If you can’t incorporate it in some way into your ongoing training, then maybe you shouldn’t launch it. I’m not talking about training about the tool. I’m talking about how you reference the new tool while you’re training about everything else.
For example, if you just launched a new media library, make sure you show what resources you would use in the new media library while you’re training on having recruiting conversations—and what you would do with those resources. If you launched a new contact management platform, use that platform while you train on the importance of follow-up.
If your trainers aren’t actively using the tools as part of their ongoing training, no one else will. If you’re gonna launch it, you gotta lean into it!
Deliver the Development People Want (not what we think is best for them)
People join as distributors for all kinds of reasons, and most of the time they aren’t quite as committed or focused as we think they should be. But what’s more important: for them to get what they want out of being associated with our company, or for us to get what we want out of their involvement?
As the generational research from Bridgehead Collective continues to point out, Gen Z is abundantly drawn to learning how to become leaders, and how to manage people (maybe even more so than earning income). If they see our “opportunity” as their opportunity to gain that, let’s give it to them! If someone wants to grow as a person and simply wants to step into entrepreneurship by selling our products and has zero interest in team building, let’s show them how to do that and stop trying to talk them into team building.
The data shows that people are increasingly involved in more than one gig. We can’t assume we’re their only source for what they’re looking for. They’ve chosen us to provide a specific piece to their puzzle, not necessarily the whole puzzle. Let’s just be thrilled with being a part of their puzzle.
Spend More Time in the Shallow End
For me, “field development” implies a focus on what we would typically call our “leaders.” We go live with top leaders; have calls with top leaders; host events for top leaders, etc. The training is often just as much about leading large teams of people, promoting through the ranks of our compensation plans and growing in strategy, mindset, time management and so much more.
And we need to keep doing every bit of that! But we all know two things to be true:
- Growth comes from our next generation of leadership, not the current one.
- People stick around for a lot less time than they used to.
Too many companies don’t really kick into solid training until a distributor gets to the fourth or fifth level of their current plan. And yet 80 percent or more of all distributors never get to that level. We need to commit to making an impact much sooner. And we need to do it not just because it makes it more likely for them to get to those higher levels, but for the simple reason of wanting to impact the lives of people who are choosing us.
Do we want them to stick around for years? Of course! But we can’t ignore the data that shows that they won’t. Let’s focus more of our time on creating an environment that helps a distributor take a next step right away.
This means more attention on getting that first order; on selling online; on hosting a show; on sponsoring that first person; on posting online. Don’t just tell them they should get three customers right away; spend lots of time sharing ideas on how to do that.
Separate Selling from Team Building
Whether us “long-timers” like it or not, the divide between selling and team building is becoming wider and more defined. Companies are finding more and more ways to just let people sell products and then raise their hand if they are interested in building a team.
I know you may have all the reasons as to why this is a bad idea, but I don’t think it’s going to matter. If your compensation plan updates, your enrollment options, your company positioning, your website messaging are all accommodating this, then so should your field development and training.
Step 1 is that you need to create training that is 100 percent committed to selling, and all that implies, and very rarely mentions the team-building opportunity. And definitely don’t assume that those watching have a team. Then, create a separate program that speaks to everything related to building a team, leading a large organization, etc.
Step 2 is finding ways to let your distributors self-identify (see the next point), and then start them on the journey that fits them best. In your welcome series, you can certainly mention that team building is a viable option, but link to it and let them choose to go there. Don’t assume that’s what everyone needs. Survey your new distributors as part of your enrollment process and find out for sure.
Create Four Core Training Programs
Now let’s get into the practicality of all of this. I believe every modern direct selling company needs to have four main categories of training. You could make a case for more, and I won’t stop you. But if you commit to segmenting your distributors by what they want, then you need to make training that shows them how that works.
Novice/First Timer
The lifeblood of any direct selling company is this group. These are the people who are typically interested in earning up to $500 per month. They do this very part-time, and many have never done “something like this” before. They aren’t interested in building a team (at least not yet), and they don’t have a huge online following. Show this group what it takes to get two customers, then five, then 10 or 20. Show them how to manage their business in 15 minutes a day. Get granular and make no assumptions. Spoon feed them as much as you can and help them put the basics of your business to work as quickly as possible.
Established Mega Seller
When an experienced seller joins your company, they’re ready to jump in head first and start making it rain. These folks are often online sellers with large existing audiences and high social selling savvy. They don’t need you to show them how to sell online. In fact, they could probably show you a thing or two. What they do need is a clear and quick guide as to how things work at your company. How to track sales, share links, get media assets, what to say (and not say) about products and how payment works. These folks are adding your company to their universe (not the other way around), and they do this sort of thing all the time. Give them what they need fast; clarify the boundaries; and then let them do their thing. And above all else, do NOT force them to wade through beginner training just to get the info they need to get going.
Team Builder
When someone does decide they want to build a team, that’s a big deal. Let’s not ask them to go from zero to sixty in three seconds flat, though. Let’s focus on our favorite word: “duplication.” Show them how to sponsor one new distributor; how to support one new distributor; how to help that one new distributor sell and share online, etc. Provide the simple, streamlined methodology to sponsor and support the right way, so that when duplication does occur, it duplicates the right thing.
Team Leader/Full Timer
This is the training we typically gravitate toward, so I don’t need to go into much detail here. But let me underscore the importance of allowing your distributors to self-select their path. Otherwise, everyone else gets this training when data shows us it’s not really what they’re looking for.
Too often, the home office lets top field leaders direct training for other top leaders. Ninety percent of the time, this is a great idea. But sometimes, the tone or approach of that training can actually be counterproductive in terms of what the home office should (or should not) be endorsing. So, make sure you commit to corporate training that the home office manages, endorses and oversees, and allow field leaders to contribute (but not dictate).
Social Selling Skills are Mandatory
If you’re going to develop social sellers, you better be comfortable with the platforms and approaches that those social sellers use. Gone are the days when you can just “rely on your social media guru.” Social media is table stakes for successful direct selling today.
I won’t go so far as to say anyone who leads field development for a modern direct selling company must have a large, vibrant online following themselves, but I think it’s headed that way. And the immediacy and rate of change of social media and its use are so fast that it’s too difficult to “delegate” your online presence to someone else.
We can’t always keep up with the field, and we don’t have to. But it’s time we become greater thought leaders in social selling at the home office.
Bring in Some Outsiders
If ever there was a space in direct selling that has historically demanded a deep direct selling pedigree, it is in field development. But I think it’s time for us to rethink that.
Here’s a common scenario: Company ABC launches a new affiliate program. They want to attract more of the influencer/creator/affiliate world, and this new program and update to their compensation plan is designed to do just that. They launch it, and then hand it over to the VP of Sales and Field Development to work with all these new people.
The problem is that the VP has never worked with people like this before. They’ve spent a career working with direct sellers, and they’ve done it well. If you’ve tried working with influencers or affiliates you learn pretty quickly just how different it can be. Could your field development team learn how to do it? I’m sure they could. But do you have the time and patience for that to happen? Probably not.
Notice I’m not at all suggesting that we replace our existing field development resources. We still desperately need what they do. But if you choose to add new ways and approaches to join the company, and that attracts new kinds of people, then we need to add the expertise in-house to serve them well and appropriately.
Field Development is Our Differentiator
We are no longer the only gig in town. Which is an opportunity for us. As the world grows more and more aware and accepting of gig work and side hustles, we can stand out by doing more, not less, of what’s always made us special: developing people.
Brett Duncan specializes in helping direct selling companies evolve into modern social selling models while still maintaining the culture and essence of who they are and what makes them different. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Choice Partners, a business development firm that helps direct selling companies take their next steps. From marketing services to compensation plan design to operations and distribution support, Strategic Choice Partners is a frequently sought-out partner within direct selling.
From the March 2024 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
