Today's guest blogger Debra Warren is our "Ask the Expert" speaker for June. She's an awarding winning Senior Director with her direct sales company capturing both top sponsoring and leadership honors. She is also the definitive voice of designing a family first lifestyle!
Her journey in direct sales began six years ago. With a 4 year old in her lap, and a newborn in her arms, Debra was determined to create a remarkable lifestyle for her family which meant bringing her husband home from his 12 hour work days as an elementary principal to embrace those once in a lifetime family moments. After a few years of focused action, Debra’s husband became a full time dad and business partner.
Today, you’ll find her actively growing her direct sales business while blending her expertise in team building, social media, and love of personal artistry into an amazing coaching experience through her blog www.DebraWarren.com. Debra lives on the beautiful sun coast of Florida with her husband and two young children.
You can register for Debra's free call, "Facebook by Design; The Art of Social Media for your Direct Sales Business" which happens on Wednesday, June 16th at 12 noon Eastern by clicking here.
Social media is changing the way we communicate, coach, and build community within our direct sales teams. A Facebook group is a dynamic tool for building a strong team culture that values recognition, contribution, education, and excellence all wrapped within an interactive resource center!
In the past, direct sales teams were mainly built locally, face-to-face, through a party style experience. Everybody grew to know each other in person. Today, social media and internet marketing are creating a pathway to sponsor nationally and even internationally. Your organization can quickly become a global team and the time your team spends together for communication and coaching will largely be built around technology. Having an online gathering place for your team is essential.
Designing a Team Facebook Group empowers your organization to:
Build Community:
Facebook provides the best platform for your team’s social engagement by closing the miles with a human touch… the “face”. Seeing a face attached to conversations engages the emotions and elevates the team bonding. Group member’s profile photos are displayed within the group “Members” box and each time a member posts within the group. A sense of belonging and being a part of something extraordinary is established.
“Friending” among team members can strengthen relationships, build community, and create a bond of working together for the success of everyone. Members can view profiles of other team members they friend, learning more about that person, their family, and daily activities.
Give Recognition:
Your Facebook group can serve as "center stage" or a platform for team recognition. It’s a fantastic way to personally celebrate:
- Personal growth milestones
- Leadership achievements
- Personal best retail sales
- Sponsoring accomplishments
- Incentive or bonus winners
- Overall team highlights
Coach and Contribute:
Once your group becomes established, it will become the central “hub” for training resources where information and support can be found in one interactive location. The group features, or tools, will encourage and engage team discussions, brainstorming, and support for the success of everyone. These tools allow your team to embrace individual learning styles and flexible lifestyle schedules.
Here are a few ideas on how to use the group tools to enhance your team’s experience:
- Wall: Consistently sprinkle your group’s wall with coaching tips, relevant resource links, motivational messages, recognition, and team or company announcements.
- Discussion Board: These can be laser-focused discussion topics for specific training. The topics are initially generated by you to “seed” the board and set a foundation for interaction, and then added by the team members.
- Multimedia Engagement: Post photos, MP3 recordings, and short training, personal growth, and company event videos.
- Events: Post upcoming team training and company events encouraging members to “RSVP” on the board and let others know if they are attending. This will create synergy, excitement, and anticipation for the event.
- Broadcast Email: As the organizer of the group, you can broadcast email its entire membership with a simple click on the dashboard. Consistently reach out beyond the group page to connect with your team. Send a weekly group email highlighting announcements, discussions, and group activities. This will also encourage members back to the group to engage in the learning and conversations.
By creating a dynamic community for team members, you will ROCK the culture of your organization and empower each member to experience amazing synergy and results!
To learn more about using a Facebook group with your direct sales team, click here to register for Debra's free "Ask the Expert" call, "Facebook by Design; The Art of Social Media for your Direct Sales Business" which happens on Wednesday, June 16th at 12 noon Eastern.
