Finding People to Support

This post is about mindset.  The home-based business industry typically has used the words recruit, enroll, sponsor, get sign-ups... to define the activity of business building.

I want to tweak this just a bit.  There is more to the proposition beyond the next silver ball being loaded - and then flung up to the top of the pin ball machine and left to bounce around - and then needing to be whacked to keep it in play.

When we "find people to support", the idea from the outset is that we need to understand how the person we are talking to.  Our orientation has to be how we can help someone.  In some cases, this will mean that we "turn down" people if we do not think they have a likelihood of success.

This comes down to our assessments of people as potential business partners.  Have they taken the time to understand what we do?  Do they have the ability to articulate our business philosophy of learning and teaching?  Have they, in some manner, stated that they "get" that their life will inherently change and - by definition - be different?  Are they willing to commit to this change?

These are the people we want to find to support.  You will know you have a solid, long-term business when you are able to discriminate between who is worth investing your time in, who you are willing to take a chance on, and helping those you do not think there is a good match - understand why that is.

We do not want to "recruit people and see who sticks".  You need to decide, as a business owner, that people are worthy of the investment of your time.  The people we support need to demonstrate growth and learning.  They need to communicate and be curious about "what's next"?  If you are truly in business with someone, you will have a relationship with them and help them to incrementally become more competent.  This takes regular contact and communication to build skills and habits.

So, BEFORE someone enrolls in this enterprise, you need to make some assessments.  Do all you can to get to know people and ask some relevant questions regarding their need for change and what they are willing to commit to - to make it happen.

Set the expectation early that you will be an accountability partner and that they understand that no business builds itself.  This is another way of saying that their effort is an expectation.  Don't allow people to sell themselves short by being paralyzed by not knowing what to do.  If they do not come up with things to do - tell them what to do, until they "get it".  They will get it when they see returns from their effort.

This is a serious, life-changing proposition.  Treat is as such.  Procrastination is not an option.