The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
What to Do When Your Direct Sales Team Stops Performing
Are you exhausted from carrying your team month after month? Feeling like if they’d just show up, your paycheck would finally reflect your effort? In this episode, Rachel busts the biggest lie direct sales leaders keep believing: that success depends on motivating their team.
Instead, she shares the honest truth about team performance, why it's dangerous to rely on it, and what smart leaders are doing to protect their income—even when their team checks out.
Key Points Covered:
- Why hope mode is the most common trap top leaders fall into.
- The real reason your paycheck feels unpredictable (and it’s not your leadership skills).
- The moment Rachel realized she needed her own backup plan—and how it changed everything.
- How to uncover what you’re already known for (hint: it’s your first clue to creating a digital product).
- 3 things you can do right now to shift into more stability without quitting your company.
Closing Reminder:
You’re not crazy. You’re not a bad leader. You’re evolving—and that’s a good thing.
If you’re ready to explore your own backup plan, DM me “backup” on Instagram @rachelaperry and let’s brainstorm what yours could be.
Hang out with me more!
Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast for direct sellers who are ready to get uncomfortable, build their business and grow a team while changing the face of the direct sales industry. I'm your host, rachel Perry. Join me as we get real and talk about all the things you need to kick some serious direct sales booty From overcoming limiting beliefs to sharing the exact strategies you need to attract the right people who become customers and beg to join your team. I've got you covered, girl. I'm going to be your new BFF when it comes to balancing life and kids while building your direct sales business with poise, peace of mind and, of course, a good set of fake eyelashes. Let's get started. Hello, my friends, welcome back to another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. I'm your host, rachel, and I'm so happy you're here Today.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about that sneaky little lie that so many direct sales leaders believe, because it's what we've been taught, and that lie is if I could just get my team motivated again, everything would go back to how it was. Or if I could just get my team motivated, then I know I would be able to get to my next rank. Or you know, she's the one. I can just see it, she's there. She's got so much potential. Oh my gosh, the times that I would sponsor a new team member and I'd be like she's the one, like she's the one that's. You know, we all want the one, the one like us, the one that's going to like, take us to the next level. Does that sound familiar? Oh my gosh, I tell you what. And listen, I get it. Like you're doing all the things. You're still showing up, you're still training, you're still running incentives and contests and leading from the front, but for so many of you it feels like you're carrying everyone and everything on your back and maybe your commission check just isn't reflecting the effort that you're putting in. Maybe you are reaching out to your team and trying to inspire them and motivate them, but they're ghosting you. If any of that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.
Speaker 1:Okay, this episode is just for you because, listen, I am hearing this across the board, especially that your teams just aren't working or a lot of team members are leaving for another company. And you know, there's been a lot of upheaval recently and we've talked about this before, I mean at the time of this recording, there have just been two closings of rather large companies, modere, and then Signature Home or Signature Home Styles I can't remember what the name is. But guys like people are hurting, people are in really tough positions and if you're a leader and you're listening to this, you've got to really think about this, you know wisely. We've got to come at it from a strategic point, because if your company were to close or if they were to change the comp plan or whatever, you're the one that's going to suffer the most.
Speaker 1:Right, and so many top leaders stay in hope mode. It's hard to think about what could happen. And I don't even think that we should live in that sort of state of mind Like what if? Like I just got over talking to my daughter, my youngest. She's like mom. Sometimes I find myself thinking like what if I were to get cancer? Or what if I get diabetes or what if? And I was like we can't. You can't focus on the what ifs because you're going to worry yourself to death. Can't focus on the what ifs because you're going to worry yourself to death. But in your case, as leaders, I do think that there's, there is something that you can do and that is to be aware and to prepare right Like let's, let's set you up so that if the worst happens, you're not up a creek, we're not going to sit in worry mode, but we are going to be a little bit more strategic.
Speaker 1:So many leaders are in that hope mode, like, well you know what, maybe next month, maybe next month is going to be the month that, like, they start working again, or maybe this next new product launch is going to get them excited. Or maybe, if I can get them to conference, then everything will change. Or maybe maybe it's me, maybe I just need to do a better job of motivating them. But here's the truth, friends your job is to lead, not to drag. Okay, motivation is an inside job. So the longer you try to force it, the more drained you're going to feel and you can't motivate someone else. I mean, yes, we have motivational speakers and we have all things like that, but it's because the person is willing to receive that motivation. You can't force someone to feel motivated. But here's the thing A lot of companies teach that your success depends on duplication, on team volume, on everybody else doing their part. But in real life, sometimes people ghost you Right, sometimes they disappear mid-rank, sometimes they lose the spark and don't get it back. Sometimes they hit a snag in their journey and they lose their momentum. And it doesn't matter how good you are at being a leader. The problem is, if your commission check is tied to their performance, you're kind of on unstable ground.
Speaker 1:When I was in direct sales, I found I would do everything right. I mean y'all, I was doing everything I was supposed to do. But what I found was that my team didn't want they didn't want what I wanted. They didn't want it as badly as I wanted it. And what was frustrating is that I wanted them to be like me. I wanted them to be motivated. I wanted them to want to climb the ladder. I wanted all of that. And it wasn't that my team was bad because they weren't and they weren't lazy, they were just human. Life happened right, work happened, jobs changed, people got distracted, kids got sick. And then I realized, you know what, if I'm depending on my team to perform, I've lost a little bit of control there. I've lost a little bit of stability, because if my monthly income is based on how my team does, that's not totally within my control. So here's, here's, and you guys know my story and I'm going to share it again.
Speaker 1:But that's when Amanda and I turned our knowledge and created a product. We were having success with Facebook parties and, instead of just teaching our team to do Facebook parties, someone said you know, you could sell this Like you could teach everybody how to do Facebook parties. And we were like, no that, no stop. But sure enough, we took a and we did it. We turned it into a mini course and, as we and we were shocked at the response so many people wanted it and it makes sense it doubled our sales. Like, of course, it was a new strategy. Facebook was new. It wasn't like it is now, where people are like no more Facebook parties. It was great, and we turned that into an extra stream of income. We created content that attracted the right people, not just for our products, but for what we were teaching. Right.
Speaker 1:We built a brand around us, not just what we sold, and so my direct sales business at the time was doing great, but so was my additional stream of income, and let me tell you this, the piece of knowing that I had something of my own was truly unmatched, and I didn't realize how much I needed that until I had it, and I really feel like every leader needs a backup plan or needs a plan B or needs something on the side. And here's the beauty of this. It doesn't mean you quit at all, like I didn't. It took me years before I left direct sales to focus on the tag team. But the thing is is you're probably already doing something. You're probably already teaching something to your ideal people. You are already. You already have the skills. We just have to package it in a different way. You just need someone who, like a person who came to us to say you should sell this. You just need someone to do that and I'll be that person for you. Okay girl, okay girl. Okay.
Speaker 1:So listen, if you are feeling like your team engagement has dropped and you're still like, yeah, but maybe they'll come back, like maybe this is just a phase, or maybe you know it's just a bad month, or your company has made some changes to the comp plan and your check might be a little bit smaller, you know, a lot of the companies are shifting into the affiliate model or they are changing the percentage of how much you can get with commission, things like that. Or if you feel like you're kind of annoyed with your team right now, like I've had a student or client you know in the past, one in particular, who literally was so annoyed with her team. I was like girl, are you speaking like this to them Because they are not going to want to show up? But she was so done with them, she was so done. She was like legit, a little bit resentful towards them. Right, she didn't really say anything out loud, but that energy was coming through. Or maybe you're scared to admit out loud that you're tired because you're supposed to be the leader, you're supposed to be showing up.
Speaker 1:If any of these things are true for you right now, then I think maybe I just want to encourage you, because here's the thing You're not crazy, you're not ungrateful and you're definitely not alone. It's just, this is an exhausting business to be in, and when you have momentum it's amazing. But when there isn't momentum, it's fleeting and it's exhausting, right, like it's exhausting when there's no momentum on your team, and it's exhausting when there's no momentum on your team and it's exhausting when your team members aren't working and you're like if they would just do this one thing, if they would just come to this training, or if they would just reach out to five people, or whatever it is, but they don't, and it's nothing against them. It's just like I said, distractions happen, life happens. Maybe they don't have the desire, maybe they're tired of the network marketing hustle, that hamster wheel that so many find themselves on right. So if that is you, I want to encourage you and I want you to know that there are options for you. Okay, it doesn't have to be that the only way to fix this is to get a new team. I mean, how many times have we been told that, if your team isn't working, find a new team. If only it was that easy. So here's what I want you to do right now. These are three things that you can do right now. The first thing is I want you to identify what you're already known for, or what do people love to hear you talk about? Ok, here's something that I've just started bringing back for me Wigs. Ok, let me just hear me out.
Speaker 1:I used to, when I was part of the tag team, I had a character called Jasleen and I loved being Jasleen and we would do videos and we would do all the things. And then, after the tag team, I really wanted my wigs to come back out, but I couldn't connect Somehow I couldn't, I couldn't connect. So years later, a couple days ago, I was like you know what I feel? I feel like a character coming on, so I did a skit and it was basically this girl. It's like what to what, not to do as a network marketer, and I was pretending that I was this, this network marketer, and I just felt it on my heart for, for all those who just lost the company, that the company had closed, like they could come and join my team and it was the best place and blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:But you guys, so many people responded to that. So many people responded they were like oh my gosh, the wigs. I've missed the wigs, I've missed the characters. These make me so happy. So that's something I'm already known for. I'm already known for that. People love it. So what is something that you're already known for? And it doesn't have to be wigs. Okay, it doesn't have to be wigs. Another thing that I'm known for is people feel encouraged. They feel encouraged by my content. They like to come to my page or they like to come and watch my reels, because I not only educate but I also connect. So what is something that you are known for or something that you love, like something that just brings you so much joy.
Speaker 1:And then I want you to brainstorm what could be a digital product that you could create. Like what could you create? Either a mini course or guide, or an audio, like a mini podcast or something about this. Just simple. We're going to start small. We're going to start really small. Maybe you are just awesome in the kitchen and you come up with some really great recipes. You could share those y'all. Maybe you are just amazing with systems. Why not package five of your systems, put them into like a guide, a toolkit. Then what I want you to do is to start shifting your content slightly. Start sharing you, okay, but share your story, your knowledge, your store. You know, your story is your knowledge and your unique point of view.
Speaker 1:I was talking to someone the other day and she was saying that she felt like like her Instagram just wasn't connecting with people, and so I went and looked at her Instagram. Um wasn't connecting with people. And so I went and looked at her Instagram and all of her posts were about skincare and glowy skin, and, while that's great and fine, I felt like it was missing her. Who was she? What does she do. Well, I was like bring more of you to the forefront here. Let's get to know you. What are you passionate about? What are you excited about? How can you help? Who is your ideal person?
Speaker 1:Because here's the thing, guys. This is how you begin to build that additional stream of income that works for you, whether or not your team shows up. It doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be incredible. It just I really just want you to start thinking about what are some things that you do and you do well, okay, and how could we turn those into something small that you could sell? So I want to leave you with this. You're not. You're not losing it. There's nothing wrong with you If your team isn't working. You're not negative, you're not burned out, you're not giving up. You're not a bad leader, but you're evolving.
Speaker 1:And if you're uncomfortable, if you're like I just want more, I just want my team to work or I just want, if you're feeling the nudge of discontent, or you're feeling like there should be, there's something more this is not fueling you like it used to. This might be the nudge to start stepping out into building something that's yours. Let's stop tying your success to someone else's motivation. Let's stop tying your worth and your value to someone else's motivation. Right, listen? If you are like, okay, rachel, I need to know more of what you're talking about. I need to know more, do me a favor, dm me the word backup and or you can go to the show notes and you can just go to. You know my link with Rachel A Perry at Rachel A Perry on Instagram, but DM me the word backup and let's chat, let's talk about what this backup plan might look like for you. I would love to help you do that, and we can just do it over chat, like just in DMs, and just brainstorm some ideas.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, my friends, I hope this episode has been helpful. It's a short but sweet one, but I love you and I'm so happy that you are here listening, and I will be back here next week for another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. Until then, beautiful friends, take care. That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast, but our fun doesn't have to end now. You'll catch me hanging out over on Instagram between episodes and I'd love for you to join me, so hop into my DMs. I promise you're not getting any hate girl messages and I promise I'm not going to be asking you to weirdly buy anything. Send me the message podcast so I can send you my free 90 day action planner, because who doesn't love a good template?