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ehindthescenes
and
avoiding a ride on the demonstrator business roller coaster
For Debra Valder,
an executive from Ballston Spa,
New York, the word consistency
is more than just a buzzword;
it’s the modus operandi that has
driven her success as a
demonstrator. Her emphasis on
developing this trait along with
her unwavering optimism and
energy has helped pave a path of
success for her downline too.
Many demonstrators, Deb
discovered, suffer from what she
terms the roller-coaster effect.
“Demonstrators will often
experience a month or two of
high sales followed by a month
or two of few or no sales,” Deb
explains. She soon realized that
such a cycle can quickly
discourage any demonstrator
and especially a newer one. To
develop the consistency so vital
to combat this problem, Deb
teaches a two-pronged attack.
First, Deb advocates a unique
goal-setting program. She
encourages each member of her
downline to establish two sets
of goals.
She encourages her downline to
set minimum goals in sales,
recruiting, etc. These minimums
are established based on the
demonstrator’s lowest sales and
recruiting months from the
previous year or those levels
necessary to maintain her title.
“Shoot low so that you can
achieve them and feel like you’ve
accomplished something,” says
Deb. She tells each downline
member to post these goals
somewhere visible on the left
side of her computer.
Then, she encourages each
member of her downline to
establish the second set of goals
based on how they think they
could improve with a little more
effort, training, and support.
These goals are often based on
their best selling and recruiting
months from the previous year.
These goals are posted on the
right side of the computer. The
great thing about this goalsetting
technique is that even if a
downline member fails to meet
her maximum goals, she can still
aim to beat the minimum ones.
“Ideally,” Deb explains, “she
should be consistently
somewhere in between the high
and the low goal each month.”
The second part to leveling out
the dreaded roller-coaster effect
is to plan events, workshops, and
meetings months in advance.
Deb encourages her downline to
plan and write down events at
least three months in advance.
“I’ve discovered that if
something’s written down and
posted online, you’re obligated to
do it. It makes you accountable,”
says Deb. “I’ve seen my downline
members grow. It motivates
them to hold the event when it’s
on their calendar.”
Deb’s example has certainly
helped drive this point home to
Family: Husband Kevin
her downline. She hosts monthly
meetings with her first-level
downline and meetings every
other month with her downline
levels two through five. The
meetings are held regularly and
Deb posts all of the meeting
dates, times, and swap themes
each January for the upcoming
year on her personal web site. In
these meetings, she not only
shares new creative techniques,
projects, and products with her
downline, she also follows up on
each downline member’s goals
and provides support and
encouragement. She even tells
those demonstrators in her
indirect downline who feel
unsupported because of the lack
of a direct upline or an inactive
upline, “You have me.”
Finally, Deb, a self-proclaimed
data junkie, pores over the
downline reports, looking for any
tidbit of information she can use
to motivate and encourage each
member of her downline to help
them achieve their goals. If a new
demonstrator is just short of a
minimum or a more experienced
demonstrator is just short of a
milestone, Deb sends a quick
e-mail to encourage them and to
provide advice. ■
debra valder
executive
Ballston Spa, New York
Dazzling Diamonds
Debra’s also adept at identifying and
cultivating business builders in her
downline. She has created a program
for her most business-oriented
demonstrators called Dazzling
Diamonds. During each monthly
meeting, she challenges these
demonstrators to achieve higher
sales, recruiting, and organizational
goals to help them build their
business. For example, she might
encourage them to schedule three
months of classes in advance on their
Demonstrator Business Web Site
calendar. While they don’t have to
plan the classes that far in advance,
scheduling a date makes them
accountable to the customers who
register for the event. Or, she might
push them to hold workshops early in
the month—which in turn allows them
to review their monthly totals and
helps them determine how much
they still need to do to achieve their
monthly goals.
on stage vol. 9 issue 1 15