June Online Newsletter

Anyone who has worked at EcoQuest knows how hard it is to find and build Managers. There's a rule of economics that explains this. Anything that pays well is, by definition, hard to do. If a high-paying activity were easy, too many people would want to do it. That would create an oversupply and the Law of Supply and Demand would soon cause the value of the work to be readjusted downward. Anything that is easy is destined to pay very little.

So accept the fact that finding and building leaders is hard. It always has been and it always will be hard. Some of us get lucky every now and then. We find an easy one. But it's rare. You could say that I found an easy one when I sponsored JK & Becky Baker. They bought 15,000 PV on the day they signed up so they could complete month #1 of Manager qualification. They did 20,000 PV in their second month and 30,000 in their third month.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? But by the time this happened I had already driven all night to fit 3 meetings into a tight weekend. We did Tupelo, Memphis, and Birmingham in 36 hours. Since then I've done meetings for their downline in Houston, Los Angeles, Florida, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Memphis, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Huntsville, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Kansas, Massachusetts, and many more places. I've worked for eight years via mail, email, phone, and the Web. It has been VERY PROFITABLE -- the Baker group is now my biggest — but it was not a free ride, nor was it easy.

Now let's think about YOUR Legs, and I want to begin with a definition. A Leg would be called an account in most industries. In our industry a Leg is the person you recruit and all the downliners — to unlimited levels — that develop under that person.

I also use the term Leg Leader. This term describes the first serious leader I find down any Leg. When I sponsored my daughter she was not my Leg Leader. She just sat there. But I developed a second level person, Blaine Ferguson, into a Leg Leader. That lasted for five months. A bit later, Ken Harris and Judy Ciesielski emerged as Leg Leaders. Then Michelle Giddens activated. A few good years passed and Ken Harris dropped out. That left Michelle and Judy. I also began treating BJ & Roger Smith and Angela & Angelo Elder as important Leg Leaders in that account (and from time to time there have been others). Today I work directly with 4 Leg Leaders in that Leg. See how complex it becomes? Ask yourself if you have made this level of commitment to YOUR Legs.

To build a large, a profitable, and a permanent business, you should be thinking as I think, working as I work, and employing some of the strategies that I employ. Obviously your own circumstances come into play. Few people can travel as much as I do. But consider the list of ideas that follow and see which ones you can utilize...

1. I have a VERY CLEAR OBJECTIVE. From day one I tried to recruit career-motivated people. I look for people who would like to make $150,000 a year and up. I never look for sellers or for people who want to make $500 a month to supplement their income. I find some of those people, but it's NEVER because I am looking for them.

2. I KNOW WHAT CAREER-CAPABLE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE. I look for ambition, MLM experience, an entrepreneurial spirit, and risk takers. I look for decisiveness and boldness, hard workers, sincerity, and a sense of urgency. I look for people I think I can get along with, for people who are 45 years of age and looking for their final career, for people who have good marriages, for people who are coachable, for people who would like to become the Kingpin in the city or region where they live, for people who have problem solving skills and who can handle challenges, and for people who have a lot of friends. None of these requirements are cast in cement, but I'm always aware of them. I look for people who like to travel.

3. I ALSO KNOW WHAT I AM NOT LOOKING FOR. By knowing what I don't want, I save a lot of time and frustration. I'm NOT looking for people who worship their jobs. I'm NOT looking for people who have just started a new business that is exciting to them. I'm NOT looking for talkaholics and boring people. One hint of talkaholism and I run the other way. Nor am I looking for drinkers. Drinking does not fit very well with MLM. I'm NOT looking for people who like to gripe about everything and who can always figure out why something WON'T work. I'm NOT looking for liars and BS artists. I'm NOT looking for someone who expects me to do all their icebreaking or letter writing work. I like people who have sales ability but I am NOT looking for salesmen, per se.

4. I PUT MY CARDS ON THE TABLE. Very early in the prospecting and recruiting process I begin laying out exactly what I have to offer. "I'm interested in finding someone who wants to make $150,000 per year and up and who wants to build an income that will last for a lifetime. I'm looking for someone who is willing to work very hard and who would like to make EcoQuest his final career. Does that describe you?"

5. I WORK IN DEPTH. From day one I look for downline talent in each of my Legs. If I sponsor you, the best way I support you is by giving varying amounts of help to multiple people who emerge under you. Some people are helped via a few touches by phone. Some are helped with meetings. Many are helped with newsletters, care packages, website support, and conference calls. Many are helped with friendly contact at Success Institutes. Any of these "helping activities" may seem minor but their cumulative effect is huge. THIS IS A STRATEGY.

6. SOME PEOPLE ARE HARD TO HELP. It makes basic sense to fish where the fish are biting and to NOT FISH in the other places. Some fine people march to a different drum than the one I play. They do the business in a different way. They certainly can take my newsletters and use my national meeting program. They can tune in to my conference calls and visit my website. But I can't do much for some of these people in the area of direct contact. In some cases we are like oil and water; mixing is just not productive. I help these people through my system, not directly.

7. Do you get it? The GIDDENS SYSTEM is comprised of many things: newsletters, conference calls, the Big Picture message that I shout from every rooftop, my leadership view of EcoQuest, my strategic view of organization building, my national meeting commitment, the company programs I support, and my website. EVERYONE can use my system. Even people in other groups can use my SYSTEM. If you want more help, read my printed materials more carefully. Promote my newsletters more aggressively. Watch my schedule and promote it to your groups and prospects all around America. Listen to more conference calls. Heed my advice with more care.

8. WHAT IS YOUR SYSTEM? If your Manager Legs are weak, maybe it's because you aren't supporting them. Have you given any thought to developing your own SYSTEM? Or is your system cumbersome? Are you spending too much time with the person you recruited — your Leg Leader — and not probing downward? Is your Leg Objective unclear? Are you promoting YOUR SYSTEM down, down, down in your Legs? Are you failing to LINK the GIDDENS SYSTEM to your downline? If this is your problem I would refer to you as a "BLOCKER."

9. HAVE A GAME PLAN FOR EACH LEG. Not all Legs respond to the same stimuli. Some people do well if you offer lots of 3-way phone support. Some people do better when you steer them toward meetings. Some people really benefit from newsletters. Some people are helped more through conference calls. Some people need to hear from you often. Some people are better off when you invest your time in their downline, not with them personally.

10. Do you understand the ANCHOR program? When you Reach Over The Shoulder in a Leg, do you know that you must develop a permanent relationship with one or more key people in each Leg? These key people are called ANCHORS. The percentage you earn from an Anchor is less important than the impact their success has on the people above them.

11. CHINESE WATER TORTURE should be applied to dealers and downline leaders, as well as to prospects. Eventually you will have more people than you can possibly take care of on a week in, week out basis. Create a CWT mailing list and put something in the mail to your people on a regular basis. What you can't do by phone, you CAN do by mail. Do not rely on email only for this. Mailings have their own special power.

12. MEETINGS are of overriding importance. And there are 3 phases to meetings: the pre-Meeting phase, the Meeting itself, and the follow-up phase. Work on your skills in all 3 areas. And PROMOTE MEETINGS throughout your downline. I think you can depend on this rule of thumb: When you have 10 subgroups giving regular meetings you will probably be earning $10,000 per month.

13. ASK YOUR PEOPLE about their commitment. ASK THEM about the various elements in this list. Are you committed to earning $150,000 a year or more for the rest of your life? Do you have a plan? Do you know what kinds of people you need to recruit? Do you know what kinds of people are unlikely candidates? Are you spreading out geographically? Are you using the Giddens website? Do you check the meeting schedules and inform your people? Have you sent money for Bob's newsletters? When are you going to start doing meetings? Do you use the company's conference call program? Who are the most ambitious people in your downline? Who are your Six Most Wanted prospects? People do not need or want to be pushed but they do need to be prodded.

14. CUT BAIT WHEN YOUR HOOK IS SNAGGED ON THE BOTTOM. Fishermen sometimes get their lures snagged on an underwater log. They can pull real hard and move the boat a little, but eventually they have to cut the line and start again. The phrase "fish or cut bait" actually means you should help prepare bait for the true fishermen if you aren't fishing yourself. We also use it to mean we must cut away the prospects who are not responding. Our time MUST be invested in real prospects and in working downliners.

15. RESULTS MATTER. It's okay to be patient when someone is trying. But you also must make it clear that RESULTS ARE MANDATORY. Your people must do enough activities to generate sales, recruits, and downline growth. If results are not happening they have to change something. Activity? Attitude? Wording? Source of prospects? Use of support systems? If someone can't get results, he has to get a job. Don't be afraid to say that.

16. DON'T BURN YOUR BRIDGES. If someone wants to quit, let him quit. But remain on good terms. Don't spit out insults such as, "Quitters never win." Don't try to get someone to quit his job so he can spend more time with EcoQuest. Here's a healthy way of saying good-bye, "Debbie, I support whatever decision you make about EcoQuest. I want you to do what is best for you and your family. I want to remain your friend. I have appreciated all the effort you put into this. And I want you to call on me if a lucky recruit comes your way and you need a little help."

Check out the Online Giddens Meeting, and the New Prospect Evaluation. It goes without saying that you should check the Event Schedules on a regular basis. Check the links to Leg Charting and to the Spiral Notebook Plan.