Senior Executive Director Tracy Burton was recognized at Celebration Rally as the #1 Sponsor. Tracy loves to share Signature HomeStyles with others and finds every opportunity to do so. She realizes people need Signature HomeStyles for many different reasons and shares how you, too can discover how to find a need and fill it with our amazing business. We recently spoke with Tracy about her success and she shares her sponsoring tips with us today!
How do you start a sponsoring conversation?
I try to find something interesting about the person so that I have a great door-opener. It might be that they shared great ideas for the product, or that their outfit is nicely put together, or that they mentioned something about their job. Then I try to start with a complement, for example, “You sure had a lot of great ideas for our products – you could do my job for me! Have you ever thought about doing what I do?”
How do you pin point what someone’s interest level is and WHY we are a good fit for them? And then, how do you connect with them in a way that they are willing to talk to you about the opportunity?
I try to listen more than I talk when I’m discussing the opportunity with someone. But when I talk, I try to ask questions that will let me determine whether or not this is a good fit and how close they are to making a decision. Some questions I use are “What piqued your interest in Signature HomeStyles?”, “So what do you think we should do next?”, “Is there anything stopping you from getting started?”
What do you feel is your biggest challenge with sponsoring and what steps do you take to overcome it?
The biggest challenge I’ve had – with both sponsoring and booking Shows – has been getting people to return phone calls. At first I let that bother me – I’d wonder, why don’t they want to talk to me? Is it something I did? What I discovered though, is that when I have enough prospects in my pipeline, it really doesn’t matter if a few of them don’t respond. As long as I have presented them with the opportunity and tried to follow up, I have done what I can. My new mindset is that if they don’t respond, there are plenty of other people I can help out, so I move on.
What is your favorite sponsoring tool that you suggest everyone use?
The best tool I have in sponsoring is my List of Ten – I am driven to always have at least ten prospects that I am working with. When someone signs up, stops responding or decides not to pursue our opportunity, I strive to immediately find someone else to put on my list to replace them. This keeps me focused on always having new people to work with.
What is your best advice to someone who wants to sponsor more this year?
Always be looking for someone that could be helped by this business. When you make it all about what they’ll gain (not about what you’ll get), you’ll be much more successful. Occasionally, someone will approach you about starting the business – but that is not the norm. They may be thinking “I want to do this” during your Show, but if you don’t ask them, they may not say a word. So be sure you are asking them and sharing why this business would be good for them.