Raise of hands for those who have that friend that you never hear from unless you need something. Let’s call this friend Suzy. It could be days, weeks, or even months before a text message shows up from Suzy, and when you see the notification, you already know that she wants something from you. You let out a deep sigh and prepare yourself to open the message. It feels so frustrating. You feel like your kindness is being taken advantage of, and while you love helping others, you know in your heart that friendship is supposed to be a two-way street.

Let’s now turn our attention to Jane. Jane checks in with you just to ask how your day has been. She is there celebrating your successes and serves as a shoulder to cry on when things get tough. You do the same thing for her. Sometimes you need advice, and sometimes it’s the other way around, but either way, you two consistently work as a team and enjoy spending time together. When your phone alerts you to her message, you smile and can’t wait to open it.

Which friend would you rather give your time and energy to? 

Right, me, too. I’d much rather spend time with Jane and cultivate that friendship than spend my efforts on someone like Suzy who doesn’t seem to care much about me. 

It’s a new month, and it’s time to get things into gear, you tell yourself.

This month is going to be different! I’m going to put out facial boxes and make regular Facebook posts for my team and my customers. I’m going to complete my Power Start and add a new team member. I’m going to be all about customer service and really work on increasing communication. This is going to be my best month yet!

…And then the last week of the month rolls around, and you look back and realize you are nowhere near those goals. You truly had every intention of working your business full circle but somehow missed the mark.

Which friend do we sound like?

While we all want to be a Jane, we often suffer from inconsistency, and the relationships we have with our team and customers suffer. Listen when I tell you, sister–you’re not alone. It has happened to the best of us. We want that consistency. We know consistency can–and will–completely change the trajectory of our business, and yet, we so often find ourselves acting more like a Suzy than a consistent, relationship-based Jane. The good news is that we can make the decision now to be that Jane, again! Take a look at some of these common areas of inconsistency, and let’s explore some small steps we can take to see visible results

You gather up your facial boxes, load them into the car, and drive around town placing them at the perfect locations. Now you wait for the magic to happen. Out of sheer excitement, you return to pick one up two days later and find you have no leads. You’re disappointed but quickly drop it off at a new location you are sure will get some interested ladies. Life gets busy with work and family, and oops, you completely forgot to pick the box back up! Realizing it has been almost a month, you are eager to see how many leads you have only to return home empty-handed because they had thrown it out. 

Why Didn’t This Work?

This approach didn’t work for a couple of reasons. The first time, there wasn’t realistically enough time for anyone to put any leads in. The second time, you had waited too long, and the business threw it out thinking you probably weren’t coming back. Even if they had kept the box out, the leads that were warm the first week they entered their name are now cold a month later because they don’t remember ever entering.

Solution: 

Consistency fixes this. Try creating a schedule. Pick one day every week to pick up your facial box leads. Add an event on your calendar, or even use your phone’s assistant to add a reminder or alarm each week to alert you when it’s time to pick up your facial boxes.

Girl, On Hold

Scenario #2: 

You started a Unit Facebook Group to stay in touch with your team and cheer them on. You added all of your current team members, made a welcome post, and asked your team members to do the same. You posted when you had something to ask for, like end-of-month orders from your team or a push to move into Red, but never posted anything else. 

Why Didn’t This Work?

You basically caused everyone to tune you out because you asked your team to show up for you, but you only showed up when you needed something (you were being a Suzy, and no one likes a Suzy).

Solution:

Consistently nurturing and providing value to your team is crucial in order for your team to both be willing to listen and to continue to show up. Connecting consistently on Facebook is especially important because research shows that most people are hanging out on Facebook. Consistency in posting and in the quality of those posts sets the expectation for your team that they know this is the place to go to see you, to receive valuable information, and to interact with the team.  You are modeling for your team what it means to work full circle. Whether you are taking on the task yourself or calling in for help, staying consistent in your group is the answer.

Beauty Consultant: Missing in Action

Scenario #3:

You have a great skincare party and gain a brand new skincare customer. She buys the skincare, and during the sale process, you are ON IT! 

Then….crickets, until you remember it’s time for her to reorder. At that point, your customer is cold. She hasn’t heard from you, and the connection she once felt has faded. On average, it takes 8 interactions with a customer before they trust you enough to make a sale. At your party, you developed rapport and made a sale on the spot.  After so many weeks of no interaction…now you have to start those 8 interactions over again, making it require much more effort to get the reorder than it should.

Why Didn’t This Work?

You were missing in action, girlfriend! What sets this business apart from others is the relationships. Without forming and maintaining that relationship with our customers, we will have to start over, again and again, each time we want to make a sale.

Solution: 

Connect with customers after the sale. This is where the 2+2+2 method comes into play and makes it easy to know how to follow up. Try this:

• Two days after the sale, check in to see how she is loving the product and how it is working for her. 
• Two weeks later, check in to see how she is doing, telling her you’ve been thinking of her, and connect on a personal level.
• Two months later, check in again to see how she is doing and how she is enjoying her products. 

Notice we haven’t even asked for a reorder, but we have maintained open communication and continued building the relationship. (We’re being a Jane!)

While we have all been a Suzy at times in our business, we can own our inconsistency and turn things around, starting today!

Let’s become the best Jane we can be for our customers and our team!