Imagine what it would be like if you gave birth to a new baby and never hugged it, never kissed it, or never showed it love? It is a proven fact that if you did that to a newborn, she would certainly die.
Well the same is true for the people we recruit into our teams, if we don’t show them love they will eventually die or quit immediately.
With that being said, what is the best way to show compassion for your team members?
Dr. Gary Chapman has written several books on the five love languages. He has versions available for couples, singles, teens, and kids. For the purposes of what we do in our industry, I have outlined what I consider to be the five love languages for network marketers that will help you nurture and develop your team as follows:
#1 – Communications
Communication is such an important part of showing your team members that you care. Recent updates in technology have made it easy for anyone to send a simple email or eCard to team members letting them know you appreciate them or acknowledging something great they’ve done recently. However, I have to say that taking the time to handwrite a simple note of praise and mail it is one of the best ways you can communicate. Your team members will feel even more appreciated.
Today, when so many people brag about building teams without picking up the phone, I encourage you to do just the opposite. Calling your team members shows them that they mean more to you than just a dollar sign or a number in your genealogy, and it shows that you’re sincerely interested in building a relationship.
#2 – Recognition
People join network marketing companies because of the recognition and financial rewards. This is a well known fact. Business America has moved away from recognizing their employees for a job well done, and as a result, the average person is hungry for this type of public display of appreciation.
Simple acts of recognition not only help a team member feel good, but they go directly to the bottom line of your business because in network marketing, what gets recognized, gets done.
So, if you recognize the top of sales, you’ll have upsells and the same goes for hiring.
But let’s be real, people need to be petted. And at the end of the day, there’s a little kid in all of us who still gets excited when we’re awarded a gold star. So we must make sure that we give a lot of gold stars.
#3 – Gifts
People love receiving gifts. Giving them away is one of the strongest ways to increase retention on your team. Certainly, in an industry with a churn rate of over 90%, you’ll want to do everything you can to lower that statistic. Also, remember birthdays and anniversaries and send small gifts on these special occasions as well. He acknowledges that their relationship extends beyond the realms of business. Building strong relationships creates loyalty among the team that could last forever.
#4 – Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is all about meeting the needs of the people you lead. A servant leader is one who is dedicated to serving his team. Acts of service can range from being available to help your team with their events and meetings, or helping them close new business partners, or even being there for them in a time of need.
One of my favorite authors, Marian Wright Edelman, says that “Service is the rent you pay for living” and I believe it.
#5 – Spend time together as a team
There is nothing better than the bonding experience of coming together as a team. Getting your team members together for social events like bowling events, pizza parties, or team retreats is the perfect way for everyone to get to know each other. This allows your team members to see everyone in a relaxed environment and also get to know another side of each other. Lasting and life-changing friendships develop in these types of environments.
Here is the bottom line, after years of working on my network marketing business, I have learned that it will attract all kinds of people, with different personality types. These personalities will merge into a melting pot of opinions and ideals, which will define your team culture. You need to understand and appreciate each personality for all it has to offer because it takes all types to make a team.
As a team leader in the MLM industry, your role is to show love and care and build relationships.
So STOP and ask yourself these key questions, how could you not have an affinity with the people who are helping you achieve your goals and live your dreams? How can you not appreciate people who work with you and help you even when they don’t have to?
When you are abundantly blessed, it is your duty to be a blessing to others, and what better way to be a blessing than to show love to our teams.
Doing so gets to the core of our cause as MLM leaders, which is literally changing lives. Loving your team isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s something you have to do to be successful in the long run.