7 Keys to Shaklee Success
Faye and I are often asked about our keys to building our Shaklee business. One foundational key was simple. We had excellent leadership which provided a clear process to follow. We trusted our leadership, believed in the process and followed it. Thirty-eight years later, we still trust essentially the same process.
Recently, over a period of 3 months, we attempted to outline this process. Faye and I wanted to pinpoint the major keys or concepts which would account for the development of our Shaklee business. We concluded the following 7 Keys were essential to our success.
I quickly learned setting goals was easier than achieving them. Goals must be motivating to insure success. We found the following 6 criteria helpful to insure greater goal achievement:
We constantly kept our goals in our sights; we referred to them often. We knew when we met our goals of sponsoring, volume growth, meetings & product events conducted and building downline leaders, we would be on our way to Master Coordinator.
2. Stick to the fundamentals 3. Teach the kind of attitude it will take
In athletics as well as in Shaklee, there is a common principle to develop a winner:
I have always felt Shaklee is an attitude business. It's important to take responsibility for maintaining your own good attitude. Do whatever it takes to protect it. If you hang around with people who criticize, complain, cast doubt and whine about everything that comes up, they will bring down your attitude. Don't let others steal your dream.
Six reasons why winners win.
The people with these 6 qualities don't lose sight of their dream.
4. Develop the skill to help people see clearly what it is they want and why
It seems to me when we are working with people who have a desire to have a different future, we need to help them understand that knowing WHY is very important.
In over 38 years I have never heard someone say they didn't want what Shaklee offered. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, wants what Shaklee offers. An unusual lifestyle, control of time, feeling of tremendous accomplishment, helping people, friends all over the country, and for many, many leaders, an income they only dreamed about.
I've observed hundreds of people in this business and in my opinion the reason people don't seem to get what they say they want is because they don't have a strong enough WHY? How serious are you about wanting the kind of future that Shaklee offers? What is it you really want and WHY do you want it? Is your WHY strong enough to help you get through the disappointments, down times and some adversity you might face? Is your WHY strong enough to motivate you to take action on your goals every day?
We did the following to help people discover their wants and why:
5. Learn how to show people how to get what they want through Shaklee
We always have to remember when we are talking with a prospect that it's about them not us. It's about them, not even Shaklee. I feel once we know someone is serious about what they want, it is our responsibility to show them how they can get it through the Shaklee opportunity.
In my opinion, it is vital to keep everything as simple as possible. When I sit down with a good prospect to give a simple opportunity presentation, I want them thinking, "I can do that!” I'm not there to impress them with a complex 40 page presentation. I want the prospect thinking, "Me too!” not "So what!” Believe me, simplicity draws people to Shaklee. Complexity might impress but it doesn't seem to generate involvement as much as simplicity.
Current bonus recaps are a wonderful tool for showing people what is possible. For over 25 years we have printed a few sheets with various examples of Shaklee success to provide proof that what we say about our great Shaklee opportunity is true. When we first looked at Shaklee we wanted to know "…is it really true what they say about earnings?” We use these examples of those who earn over $10,000, as well as $40,000, $75,000 and up to $500,000 annual income to demonstrate to new people that, "…yes, it really is true what they say!” Most examples are very part time. In fact, many people earn full time incomes from a part time effort.
The next most effective and powerful way to show a new prospect what is possible is to tell stories. Because there is such an abundance of success in Shaklee, we never run out of true and realistic stories of success by ordinary people just like themselves. We never need to embellish…to over inflate stories of success in Shaklee.
6. Have consistent effort
We learned very early that meetings would be a major key to building a substantial business. Our sponsor held weekly meetings. His sponsor held weekly meetings. So, we have held weekly meetings in our home for over 38 years. Simple meetings where the entire Shaklee story, company history, products and earning opportunity are always presented. I have never done a meeting without talking about the earning opportunity.
Then, we felt that our decision to follow the interest helped us to grow our business exponentially. When we found someone in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Texas, and they wanted to build, we traveled to meet with them, their prospects and to conduct meetings in their homes. In the beginning, we traveled by car. Later on we were able to fly. This turned out to be our key for building a large organization. In simple terms, we went where the interest was and the people were serious.
Another piece of this puzzle was to maintain a positive outlook, no matter what! It was very clear to me that being positive, talking about the future, giving people hope for their future, was the only way to go. I must also say that I didn't always feel positive as I was driving to give a presentation, but I developed a personal rule that in my opinion was one of the smartest things I did. My rule is very simple: I can be at my very best for any 60 to 120 minutes regardless of how I feel.
The final thing we did for being consistent with our effort was our work habits. We have worked hard at this business because I knew in my heart that we could grow it to whatever size we chose because good solid activities creates opportunity. Keep in mind, this is a tremendous opportunity, it doesn't always come easy, but if you will give it your best effort, whether it is part time or full time, you will never regret it because you will have helped a lot of people along the way as well as create a lifestyle for yourself that is incredible.
7. Invest in yourself
One reason you will want to invest in yourself is the chances are great no one else will have the interest to do it for you. I read books, purchased tape albums and videos, went to seminars and workshops, and studied success.
When the person gets better, the business will always get better. Invest in yourself. Do what it takes to get to meetings, local, area, regional and national. This is your investment in you and your future. Remember, nothing gets better with neglect.
—Gary and Faye Burke