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Does anyone's upline require certain criteria to receive assisting, such as sponsoring a new consultant, 3 ways call, help w/ parties?? Where should the line be drawn when it comes to helping the downline? I know we cant expect upline to drop whatever they are doing and be at our beck and call, especially if we are not creating any volume ourselves. An NVP has so many consultants in her downline, this could be extremely time consuming. But, under the policy handbook, it also states that as you progress levels as a consultant, your responsibility will also grow w/ your downline. So, basically, what SHOULD we expect from our upline???

My upline has just restructured for the new year! She became RVP last year and grew too fast and got really flustered and it took over her home life and she was missing time with her kids, etc. So she has a new policy basically to keep up with her "directs" meaning those who are one level away from her. Which I am, because my sponsor dropped out. Our downline is supposed to contact us first and if we can't handle it, we approach her. It helps in two ways, my team started seeing ME as the leader, not her, and it makes me want to be a good leader! It also makes her business look more appealing, I mean who would want to be an RVP if you are at the beck and call of a million people with no boundaries?


She is in a different state, so I can't rely on her too much anyway, but she is a nice back up.

And isn't the whole idea of working from home to give you more time with your family?smileys/smiley5.gif
Many Nationals do this. I have seen this done in other companies
too. They are in direct contact with their managers/directors and
then those leaders help their consultants, and in turn teach their
consultants to do the same with their downlines.



I've always found it is good to pick one leader, whether it is your
sponsor, upline or someone elses. Attend their meetings, visit their
training sites etc. If you like what they are doing, do exactly
what they do and teach your downlines to do the same. I have seen many
strong teams built this way over the years.

Barbara,


From the tone of your posting, it sounds like you have a slightly different scenario (correct me if I'm wrong). It sounds like your upline would only make themselves available to you if you are contributing to the business by sponsoring consultants or something else. That doesn't sound right to me.


I respect the "chain of command" but also feel free to contact our RVP (who generally is able to handle everything I run into). I definitely would always expect my leaders to be responsive (and I don't mean that they have to drop everything for me). I may turn to them for advice on a particular situation or to brainstorm.


In turn, I feel a responsibility to my team. I feel that the more I can coach and lead myself and my group, the better off we'd be. I guess these are skills that I transferred into my Arbonne business from my corporate life.


If I have understood your post correctly, this is the stuff that really burns me upsmileys/smiley7.gif. I think it's wrong andinconsistent with the leadershipwe have all seen through Rita (Davenport) and others.


I have been in contact recently with two different consultants experiencingpoor leadership. Their experiences have been SO bad that they're resigned. Now that's a shame!


Ines

I think this is why it is so important to find the right sponsor...not just go with the first person who talks to you about Arbonne. I can't ever get a hold of my personalsponsor...I go straight to my ENVP if I have a question...and she is SO great and helpful!

I agree Cindi. I joined Jafra last summer and haven't heard from my
sponsor once, well maybe once, asking me if I got signed up ok!smileys/smiley5.gif I have recruited a lot of people into her line, I guess she is waiting for me to make her</span> a manager! She'll have to talk to me then, unless of course I promote before she does!smileys/smiley36.gif
Another great point that you don't neccesarily have to sign up with the
very first person you talk to. Take your time and find the right match!

My personal sponser is my mom http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gifNo problem talking with her. She is my AM too.. My ENVP and RVP are the same Thea O'Donoughue.. She is always there and helping and talking to me. She has been with the company almost 20 yrs and still works with everyone. Not because she has to.. she could quit working all together and still make plenty but she loves to help other get where she is.


Kim

Cindi8d~


I have to DISAGREE with you on the "not go with the first person who talks to you about Arbonne".


I believe it would beUNETHICAL for anyone to sponsor someone who has been in touch with a current consultant!


Otherwise, how does a "new" consultant build a business if other "seasoned" consultants undermine them &amp;sign peopleup?!?


Not everyone is ready to build a business on theirFIRST introduction to Arbonne. Many times it will be after a few exposures or after using the products for awhile and understanding "the gift" of Arbonne and take it to the next level.


Arbonne is a TEAM effort. A true business builder will realize that by helping others get what they want, they will untimately get what they want too.

A prospect has a right to sign up with anyone they want to sign up
with, even if that is not the first person that approached them.



The lesson is: be the type of consultant you want to sponsor, then those people will be attracted to you!



Of course it is not ethical to steal anyone else's prospect, but if I
meet someone and talk to her about Arbonne in a way that doesn't mesh
with her, it's fair if she finds someone else she enjoys more.
She has the right to work with the people she chooses as well.

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I think that wemight justdisagree then smileys/smiley1.gifIf you had a sponsor you could never get a hold of, whowouldn't answer your questions and asked you to do things that weren't within your own personalintegrity, you might think different.


I tell everyone that I talk to that I think they should find a good fit for them as far as sponsor goes....whether that is me or not.If you are looking to enter a business with someone, you won't just take the first person to walk in the door...you would look around and find the best person for you and how you want to do business.


On the other hand, I do think it is completely unethical to try to take other people's possible-consultants or try to convince them that my team is better than so-and-so's team. I don't think it is right to go after people if you know that they are already being helped by someone...but if someone comes to me and wants to know about how I run my team and they have already talked to someone else and then decide they would rather be a part of my team, that is up to them...but I do think they need to communicate with theperson that originally talked to them.I hope I am making sense....smileys/smiley1.gif


Please let me know if you still think it is unethical and I will think about it some more...thanks for commenting :)Edited by: cindi8d

I don't think it is unethical. Everyone has a right to sign up with who they are comfortable with, but at the same time, we as consultants need to treat our business ethically and not hunt down other recruits and try to sway them to our side. I have had a few scenerios where someone has come to me after they have been in contact w/ another consultant, and I have sent them back to the original because of different reasons. One lady came to me b/c she didn't want to mix business w/ pleasure by signing up under her friend. I explained to her though that network marketing is different, and that she should sign up under her friend, and she did. Now, I have a friend who was approached by another consultant, but my friend wanted to sign up under me b/c I am not pushy in my approach and I don't tell people they will get cancer if they use other products. So, in this case, I thought it was very ethical to go by her wishes and sign her up. I think if you always follow the rule of "what would you want done to you", you will do the right thing. The week I turned the soon to be consultant away and encouraged her to sign up under her friend, I found 2 BBs myself. Not saying that will always happen, but I do believe you get back what you give eventually.As far as my question starting this thread, I won't say it is my upline, but have heard different scenerios, especially since the results approach has become so popular. I am just trying to figure out how I will do my successline. I think the best scenerio is to sponsor, support and help your direct downline, and teach them how to do the same. I am only a DM w/ 2 strong new bbs and 3 retail consultants, and I am doing alot of phone time, which is great b/c I want to be there for them. But I can imagine how many calls, emails, and request our rvps and nvps get! I just don't agree w/ having to meet such high goals to receive additional assistance when needed. I was just curious what other teams do.

I think we are talking about 2 different things.


First we have a prospect. As a prospect, you could be a wb or biz builder. Either way, you would want to feel comfortable with the person you are buying from or starting your business under as they will be (supposedly) training you and teaching you the ins &amp; outs. I personally have left one store &amp; gone to another &amp; bought the same exact product because I did not care for the salesperson at the first store. When I signed up with Arbonne, I did a ton of research on the company, the opportunity, &amp; consultants, DM's, AM's, etc in general. I did not however do enough research in any particular Nation &amp; their practices. Being new to MLM/NWM, I did not know the right questions to ask in that aspect. Don't get me wrong, I have finally ended up getting some support but not likme I hear of in other Nations, &amp; definitely not that "attach yourself to their hip for the first 30-90 days" that was so appealing in the beginning. Thank goodness for many of our wonderful folks here who hve supported me &amp; helped me through the rough patches.When I had my brick &amp; mortar store, I did not go with the first vendor that approached me, the first bank that approached me, etc. I did the research to find out their track record and how they operated their business. This too is a business &amp; deserves the same consideration.


Secondly we have consultants (at all levels) or sponsors. I believe it is our job to give anyone who asks enough good information so that they may make an educated decision. I do not think we should be actively pursuing someone else's prospect but if someone comes to us asking about the products or the biz, it is our job to talk with them about it &amp; ask questions to find out why they are still looking instead of already having signed up with the person they heard about it from. I do not thinkwe should try to sway them or cause them to join us,this is as bad as comparing products or using scare tactics &amp;I believe at that level is unethical. Ihave referred folks back to their first contact for any furtherquestions and encourage them to shareany concerns theymay have with that person. I don't say this to them but in my opinion, how that person responds to them once they do will let the prospect know if they are comfortable continuing in that direction.


Just my 2 cents...

I agree that in our quest to be ethical, we should not 'force' anyone to sign up on a team they wont be comfortable with. I have read story after story here and on other boards where people aren't happy with their upline and want to know how to switch. Once you sign up, you are hooked for life, so to speak, and just because someone mentioned Arbonne in passing, or gave you a sample at a soccer game, doesn't mean that is someone you would be comfortable being on a team with. I am not just talking about personality types, though that is a factor, but if you want to do parties and you are approached by a REsults only person, that is not a good fit, you won't get the support and encouragement you need.


If your goal is to do retail profit a couple parties a month and your potential sponsor only has time for "serious BBs" than that is not a good fit. I read onanother board about teams that won't sign people up unless they can buy 8 re9 sets, because that means they are not 'serious' and it is not worth the sponsors time. Well, send those people my way! smileys/smiley17.gifI don't think people should be turned away from Arbonne or turned off from the business if they can't do it a certain way, they just need to find someone they click with a team that has an approach they are comfortable with.

I totally agree Anet. If the person I refer back decides not to go with that person but still wants to move ahead with Arbonne, I am totally there for them and I do let them know that they can contact me in the futureif they like.


ETA: IF they have asked for my information. I have been in &amp; out today &amp; perhaps should have waited until I had enough time to make sure I was clearer. Sorry...


Edited by: Kiana's Mom

Building a business from a message inquiry is "not typical". Clearlyeveryone can see, based on posts, there are lots of consultants willing to help someone get started. (Which is where a person simply requesting for more info. gets BOMBARDED with pm's!) This creates a unique situation of a person being able to talk with multiple consultants, at the same time, before making a decision.


My point is, this is a person to person business. Most people start their business with their warm list, referrals from them, and/or the "bump into's" (cold market). (And I certainly understand a person wanting to sign up with a family/best friend situation.)


WhenI meet someone I'd like to be a part of my team, I'll introduce Arbonne to them. I'll spend the time/money (samples/brochures) building a rapport with them &amp;helping get the info they needto make an informed decision on if Arbonne is the right company for them.


I am certainly not going to encourage them to "interview" other consultants to see if there's "someone better to work with". I consider it unethical if this person meets happens to meet another consultant during the "thinking about it phase" who would NOT make the effort to refer them back to me and sign them up!

Well, I don't think many of us would tell people to interview other consultants. (as you can tell from the number of pm's sent when someone is interested, everyone wants new recruits, that is how our business grows) I think the issue about being ethical is going after a recruit when you know they are working with another consultant, and trying to sway them to your side.


SwissSkin, the way you introduce arbonne to a prospect is great! You give them as much info about the company so they can see if arbonne is a right fit for them. At they same time, they are figuring out if you are a right fit for them. A consultant might be the nicest person w/ pure intentions, but if the recruit likes doing parties, and the consultant is results only, it is not a great fit. From my experience, the results only consultants discourage parties as a waste of time, so the recruit would not get the training and support she needs.

Unfortunately I believe that with the explosion of new consultants &amp; the fast growth there are more than we would like to imagine who do not have the background or the training that teaches them to introduce the company/opportunity toanew consultant the way that SwissSkin &amp; many of us do. I am of the same mind, I will spend the time &amp; money to help a sincere biz builder make it.


I was not implying that anyone should encourage a prospect to interview other consultants. I was speaking more to a situation where I approach someone about Arbonne &amp; they have already been introduced to it but have not yet signed up. I of course ask how they know of us and then thenext thing I say is "Let me offer you some advice. Try the products &amp; then call Sue (or whoever their contact is) and get yourself signed up so that you can start saving &amp; making money right away. At that point if there are questions or concerns, the person will express them and I give the info I have but again refer her/him back to the original person. I do not try to get them to join me in any way. If they ask for my card, I will give it to them, I do not offer it. If for whatever reason this prospect does not choose to go with the other person, that is not of my doing.


Another thought on the interviewing other consultants issue, if someone is wanting to start a business, it is in their best interest to look around until they find someone they are comfortable with. In the case of my brick &amp; mortar store, I looked into franchises, buying groups, etc and did not go with certain ones because they were not abe to provide the support I was looking for or wanted me to run my business a certain way that I was not comfortable with. It is the same in this business but it is the responsibility of the prospect to perform due diligence, not ours. I believe our responsibility is as Iwrote earlier, to provide them with enough good information so they can make an educated decision. Perhaps that decision will be that they want to join me &amp; my organization, or perhaps that they want to do this business just not in my organization. I recognize&amp; respect their right to make that decision without holdingthem orsomeone else they sign up with as unethical.


What Beverly posted is a huge part of what we should practice:


The lesson is: be the type of consultant you want to sponsor, then those people will be attracted to you!


I'd like to add:


Be the kind of sponsor you would like to have.
Edited by: Kiana's Mom

You give them as much info about the company so they can see if arbonne is a right fit for them. At they same time, they are figuring out if you are a right fit for them. A consultant might be the nicest person w/ pure intentions, but if the recruit likes doing parties, and the consultant is results only, it is not a great fit. From my experience, the results only consultants discourage parties as a waste of time, so the recruit would not get the training and support she needs.





People join your team because the get to know you, like you &amp; trust you. If there is an element missing, they will look elsewhere.


Many new people are so excited about howArbonneoffers an option to achieve dreams, they DON'T know much at first (about company/products, etc.). Our job is to introduce Arbonne and get people to take a look at what's going on and let them decide how they may want to get involved. Which is why Arbonne offers tools todo the "talking" for even a newbie! Along with TONS of available training(very duplicatable!)


The great thing about Arbonne is the MANY different ways a person can build a business...it's not a one-size fits all. Again, a true business builder will only be success if they are open to helping others achieve thier own success.


Turning away an interested prospect from any of Arbonne's proven success systems would be a mistake, in my opinion!


Once someone is involved, match them "effort-for-effort" in getting them started. Plus, from my experience, a "superstar" will seek out their own info/training and take the ball &amp; run with it!!!! No hand holding needed.

I was saying from my personal experience b/c I still like doing parties, I do not receive help since my upline is all about the results approach. One of my consultants had one of my upline roll their eyes when she mentioned she would like doing parties. So for me, it was not a right fit. Fortunately, I have taken it upon myself to research different methods and train myself w/o the help of my upline. This is MY business anyway and I will not let anyone tell me how to run my business and that my approach isn't the right way.


I do not turn anyone away depending on their approach preference. I will tell them the pros and cons of all the many wonderful ways we can run our business and let them pick which one fits them.

I agree that we should expose them to all of the ways they can win with Arbonne. Due diligence to me is making sure you have a good fit with the person you sign with/under in addition to finding out if the company/products are for you.


I learn so much here! I appreciate reading all of the different opinions and ways of doing things. I just want to say thanks to everyone for being willing to discuss so many different &amp; sometimes volatile subjects!!Edited by: Kiana's Mom

amen!

The beauty of Arbonne is in its unique culture, and that there is a "groove" for everyone regarding reach out methods. The abundance mentality will teach there is enough training to go around for everyone, if you are serious about building a business.


I believe it is mostethical to sign with the person who introduced you to the opportunity--they are the ones who thought of you first. Your sponsor should be able to work with you closely, and MATCH your personal efforts. It is up to you to seek out addtl support that will support and encourage your personal growth, not your sponsors! We are fortunate, however to have so many people who are willing to help others succeed, regardless of upline, downline or sideline.


I personally work directly with my NVP and we share what applies and leave the rest. There are so many tools and resources available, the only way you could not succeed is to quit!


I am grateful to be involved with Arbonne, and know that it is up to me to continually grow and seek out new resources that fit myself and my team, and my NVP is available if and when needed.





Blessings for your success!


Rita

Well said FruitoftheVine smileys/smiley32.gif You've summarized outstandingly!