Why Should You Use a Group?
Before we dig into how, let’s talk about a few reasons why you should use a Facebook group when you’re leading a direct sales team, especially with a virtual team. The first reason is that it’s easy. Your team members are likely already checking Facebook daily and you probably already understand the basics of setting up and running a Facebook group. So there’s a lot less learning that has to happen. Another reason is that it’s also a great way to build community. Because your team members are hanging out with you in your team group, they will likely be Facebook friends with you. That means they get to see your kids and your dogs and any other fun stuff that you’ve got going on in your family. This keeps them in your life, which keeps them connected to you.
Now that we know why you should be using a Facebook group, let’s chat about six different ways you can support your team by using one.
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#1 Community and Relationships
Number one is community. When you’re thinking about your team group, I don’t want you to think about just training. Your team’s Facebook group is not all about pushing them to sell more and do more. We can’t forget to focus on community because there are people within your team that are just there for the relationships. I know that might be hard to believe, but some people are not there for the money. They are there because they need a circle of friends and people to talk to. They could be a stay at home moms or retirees or single people. They enjoy connecting with people and this is one way your team’s Facebook group can serve them. And newsflash for you…if they feel part of a community, they won’t want to leave, which means they will be active participants in your team.
At this point, you might be thinking – “Okay, got it! I need to build a community. But how do I actually do that?” Glad you asked. It’s pretty simple. You build community by having fun and building relationships. Don’t be afraid to use stickers, memes, gifs, and any other crazy thing you can come up with. Have fun. Play games. Talk to each other. Trust me. This isn’t rocket science. Just keep some of your content light and fun and the rest will fall into place.
#2 Clarity Around Goals
Another way to use a group to support your team is by creating clarity around goals. As your team grows, it should be clear where you and your team are going next. What are you doing within your team group to provide clarity for your team about where you’re headed? What do you want to accomplish next as a team and how have you communicated it to them? This could be as simple as putting your goals on your team cover and updating them consistently throughout the month.
Many times leaders will create team goals and put them out there but never actually update the team. You get them all jazzed up about this thing that you’re doing but you don’t keep them updated and focused on it. As leaders, we want to provide that clarity of where we are, where we’re going, and how much further we have to go as a team.
There should also be clarity around your mission, and if you have other things that you’re supporting like organizations or charities. If there are certain times of the year that your company shows support for specific charitable organizations, how are you talking about that with your team?
The bottom line is that your team needs to feel like they are part of something bigger than just themselves. As leaders, we need to communicate with our team members by asking things like:
- How many more people can we serve?
- How many more people can we help create an income for?
- How much bigger can we get?
Let me also say that your team goal should not always be driven by you keeping or being paid at your title. It’s okay for that to be the goal sometimes, but if that’s the only thing you ever focus on your team will quickly be disenchanted.
#3 Friendly Competition
The third way to support your team in a Facebook group is competition. Some people may not agree with me on this one, but competition is powerful, especially for people like me. If I’m on your team, I want to compete and I want to win. And I know for a fact you have other people on your team that feel the same way. Some of us thrive on the competition, so don’t be afraid to recognize your top sellers, top recruiters, or your top engagers in your team group.
Any way that you can create healthy competition and celebrate the wins within your team is huge and shouldn’t be overlooked. Just like you have team members that are there for the community, you’ve got team members that are there to compete. Don’t leave them hanging! And let me also say, if you build the right community, they’re going to want to cheer on the top performers. They will be excited for the people that are crushing it.
#4 Continuous Celebration
Along with competition, naturally comes celebrating. And no, I’m not talking about just celebrating the big achievers, like the top five, the top 10, top 20. I’m also talking about celebrating the small victories. Encourage your team members to shout out their wins for the week or month. Have them toot their own horn, so to speak. Remember, it could be something as small as finally getting their calendar full next week or creating a party template. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s a win for them, we celebrate it!
Another thing to consider is looking at your back office reports. What can you easily pull up stats for and celebrate? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Submitting their first party
- Recruiting their first team member
- Hitting a personal best in sales or recruiting
- Earning monthly company incentives
- Submitting sales by the middle of the month
#5 Collaboration
The fifth way to support your team within a Facebook group is collaboration. As a direct sales leader, I’m sure you can freely admit that you don’t know everything. And nor should you. Everyone on your team doesn’t know everything either. So I love a sense of collaboration within a community, which means allowing your team members to guest coach and guest train. If you’ve got a team member that is crushing it in host coaching where their party average is through the roof, you can bring them in and have them guest coach or train. It could be a Facebook Live or a quick pre-recorded video. Maybe someone has tested out a new party format or they’re rocking it on making party graphics. Bring them in to collaborate with others on your team.
Just a word of caution here. It’s amazing to have people that are willing to collaborate and offer tips and tricks to their fellow team members. But it’s not their sole responsibility to support your team. This is collaboration. Not delegation of responsibility.
You can also do posts throughout the month that encourage collaboration as well. Here are some questions you can ask or post prompts you can use to help get you started:
- What’s your favorite tip for (booking, host coaching, Facebook parties, etc)?
- What is your favorite engagement post for parties?
- What’s your favorite way to find fundraisers?
- What is your favorite way to reach customers outside your friends and family?
- What’s the funniest post you’ve shared in your VIP group?
Everybody wants to toot their own horn and talk about something that’s working for them. Allow them to share!
#6 Coaching & Training
The last one and probably the most obvious way to support your team within a Facebook group is coaching and training. Even though this one seems obvious, there are a few mistakes I see made on the regular. Make sure what you’re calling training and coaching isn’t just a constant push for sales instead of equipping your team to build a business. And your team training doesn’t just have to happen once a month at your team meeting. Sometimes it’s easier for people to digest little bits of information throughout the month. And it gives them fresh perspective and ideas all month long instead of just one shot.
Take some time to think about how you could coach and train throughout the month instead of just one time. Could you break down a topic into bite-sized pieces delivered via a weekly Facebook Live? What about a pre-recorded video? Or even a blog post or company training? There are lots of different ways that you can provide training. Remember, anything that you can do to consistently give our team fresh perspective and ideas is going to pay huge dividends later.
Now that you have some ideas on how to support your direct sales team within a Facebook group, let’s chat about some mistakes to avoid.
Mistakes To Avoid
#1 Binge Posting
Number one is binge posting. I know what happens. You wake up one morning and realize you haven’t posted in your team group in over a week so you scramble and post 17 different things. Friend, your team members can’t digest all that at one time. Set a goal to post something every day within your team group and make sure you create a mix of community building, goals, a little competition, some celebrations, collaboration, and then coaching and training.
#2 Not Posting
Another mistake is not posting. I hear it from so many that your team isn’t engaged in your team group. The first question to ask is “are you posting?” And not binge posting but showing up every day with a solid mix of content. Make your team’s Facebook group a place where they feel comfortable posting. And that starts with you!
#3 Not Having a Plan
The third mistake I see leaders make is not thinking through how they can serve all the different types of team members that they have. That’s why I started my list off with community. Different types of people will thrive on different types of things within a team. Thinking from a community aspect, the bulk of your engagement may not be for your top seller because they’re busy. Some are going to want the shout-outs. And others are driven by going after a goal. Think through how you can engage all the different types of people on your team.
#4 No Fun
The last mistake is not to include any fun. Your team’s Facebook group shouldn’t be all work and no play! You can do work with a fun twist. Don’t be afraid to do silly things, play games, and just goof off. It’s good for you and your team!
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Want a proven plan for growing your direct sales business without feeling like you're chasing your tail? The Direct Sellers Business Blueprint explains the 4 key areas you must master to build a simplified, systematic business. It will even tell you which area to tackle first, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed or confused about what to do next. The best part? It's completely FREE!
Mary Haynes is a highly successful direct sales leader turned strategist and coach. Her passion is helping party plan people streamline and scale their businesses using simple, proven strategies. Her goal is to eliminate business overwhelm so direct sellers know exactly what to do and when to do it. Mary is also a homeschooling mama that lives in sunny Florida with her husband, 4 kiddos, 2 dogs, and various other backyard animals.
