Over the course of nearly 10 years that I was active in direct sales, many lessons about leadership were taught to me. The ones that have made the biggest impact are the ones I learned the hard way. I learned five important leadership lessons the hard way in terms of failure, falling down, making mistakes, and being humble. The qualities of an effective leader can help you whether you are a seasoned leader in your company with a large team, or you are just beginning your career as a consultant. Existing leaders can use these traits to maintain and grow their businesses. For novices in the direct sales industry, strengthening their leadership skills will improve their customer service and prepare them for any future leadership positions they are planning.
Leadership Qualities of a Direct Seller
The right thing to do is to put people first—and not just because it’s the right thing to do. This will not only contribute to your reputation as a reliable, trustworthy businessman, but it will also contribute to your success. One consultant did a house party and booked several future parties by giving the hostesses an incentive to hold their own parties within three months. When that happened, the hostess received a bonus in her rewards. The consultant had to decide whether he should revoke the bonus for the original hostess or try to re-book the party after one of the potential hostesses backed out. Keeping her word, rewarding the bonus, and gaining a loyal client helped strengthen her business in the long run.
Teamwork and Unity
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a direct sales leader is building relationships with your team. A leader creates a support network, and making new friends. It can be difficult to find a balance between professionalism and friendship when I am people pleaser, and I want everyone to like me and be my friend. Just as in your personal life, you should choose your friends wisely.
Motivation
Be positive and dedicated. It’s normal to feel stressed or burned out every now and then. But being positive and dedicated to your own well-being will do wonders for your self-esteem. Being your own best cheerleader will go a long way in motivating others who look up to you for guidance. Remember why you started your business, what you enjoy about it, and why you want to continue.
Practice what you Preach
Lead with your actions rather than just your words. If you say one thing but your actions are different, you will lose credibility. Words don’t matter if they’re not matched by actions. Do what you say to earn and keep others’ trust.
It is absolutely critical that leaders continually work & rebuild their own direct sales business too. I used to say that I would never ask my team to do something that I wasn’t also willing to do myself. I used to be the one in charge of my own business. However somewhere along the line, I began relying more on what my team was doing than what I was doing myself.
Be a Mentor
Your time and activity as a leader is devoted to working with, training, and improving your team. So yes, you deserve a bonus as compensation for your time and effort. But the same cannot be said for your personal party plan business. It’s important for you to balance it and build your own personal business at the same time. This shows your team what you’re all about. It ensures that your income does not suffer when your team has a bad month.
Set Goals and Achieve it
Trying to accomplish what you don’t want doesn’t make you a failure. But losing sight of what’s most important is what does. Not meeting team goals, not earning company promotions, or not attaining top recognition is not what makes you a failure. I rose to the top of recognition and numbers very quickly. In my first few years in business by choosing not to try. Comparing myself to others and not focusing on helping others. My team began missing goals for a variety of reasons and I began taking it personally. Since I had never been successful in anything else I had done in my life. Despite being in the top 20 in the US/Canada, I barely hung on to my title in the final month. I missed out on earning my 2nd free trip to Hawaii not once but twice in the final month.
There is no doubt that other qualities can be important in a given situation. There is no doubt that many people will disagree with my list of essential leadership traits. I am not discussing skills—I am discussing personality traits. It will impact how these skills are displayed to the people who need them. Knowledge of products, an understanding of market forces, a solid grasp of finances. And the ability to communicate well are all valuable skills.
