Sponsoring the Great American Novel into your Direct Sales Business

This may sound a bit silly, but everything I learned about sponsoring, I learned as a First Grade teacher.

Let me explain.  Before I became an at home mom entrepreneur, I taught first grade for 13 years and absolutely loved it!  My “job” description was pretty clear; teach the children within my classroom each year to read.  I embraced my challenge with an attitude of, yes, I can do this.  After all I received my Masters in Early Childhood Reading.  I had the credentials.  More importantly, I had the passion. I loved to read and wanted to share that wonderful gift with these wide-eyed children!

Well, to my disappointment, when I unlocked my classroom door in early August to prepare it for the 24 trendy names sketched on my class list, I was greeted with a 3 foot stack of workbooks, flash cards, and “Dick and Jane” style reading books.  You know the ones, “See Spot run.  Go Spot go!”

After a few years of this routine, I was ready for a change in my approach.  I knew there was a better way to empower children to read.  I knew that I wanted more than the one dimensional characters and a mediocre story line of our reading books.  I wanted more than just teaching these 6 year old children to read, I wanted them the embrace a new book with enthusiasm, be a lover of good literature, enjoy the reading process, and become life-long readers.

So one year, as I opened my classroom door in August, I pushed aside the familiar 3 foot stack of workbooks and basal readers and transformed my classroom.

That year, if you walked into our classroom in August, you knew we valued literature!  I immersed our classroom and the children in literature and created an amazing reading experience.  Books and language were everywhere!  Author study boards graced our walls, poetry charts were hung on an easel for easy interaction, and bean bag chairs were snuggled into a cozy reading area because that’s how a 6 year old loves to read!

Our mindsets were different that year as well.  We began looking at books in a whole new way.  Each time we picked up a book, we looked at the unique artwork and “message” of its cover.  We anticipated discovering an amazing story on the inside.   By simply opening the cover, turning the pages, and engaging in the words and images, we  discovered dynamic characters, wonderous settings, and unique stories woven into its fabric.

Along the way of immersing ourselves in literature, in stories of all genres, in words and language that moved our souls, these children not only learned how to read, but embraced reading with the love and enthusiasm of being picked up by their mom after school!

Guess what?  It works the same when building relationships, sponsoring others onto your direct sales team, and designing long lasting partnerships.

Embrace this same mindset through your direct sales and network marketing journey!

Immerse yourself in people.  Stop long enough to appreciate the beauty of their “cover”.  Engage in authentic conversations and questions to discover the colorful character and brilliant story held within.  Listen to their words, their expression in their language, as they will vividly paint the pictures of what’s valued in their story.

Understand that every story has a beginning filled with dreams, a middle touched by disconnect or conflict, and hope for an extraordinary ending.  Cozy up to that storyline, and if there’s a fit, share a new chapter for their story in the form of your business.  Together, create new chapters, a new series… a new best seller!

Act as if you are sponsoring the Great American Novel into your direct sales business… because you are!

Happy reading!

Debra Warren