Some Thoughts on Training

Some Thoughts on Training

-               by Pete Zdanis

Training is a very important, and arguably the most critical, component of USANA business building. Yet training is the component that is often the most overlooked, or most avoided.

The fact is that the lack of adequate training is why many Associates are unable to grow their USANA business to the level they want it to.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

I believe that the word “training” strikes fear in the hearts of some Associates, especially newer ones.

As with any other aspect of USANA business building, we all become better trainers the more we do it over time.

Certainly, it is the responsibility of all Associates to have a good understanding of the USANA products, compensation plan and Policies & Procedures. This allows us to be more productive Associates and better trainers.

However, even brand new Associates can be extremely effective in training others, since USANA makes the process very easy for everyone.

For example, there are many links just on USANA Today dedicated to training, including the eApprentice downloads from the USANA BDS. Then, there are eApprentice and the BDS itself which have been created by thousands of hours of effort by USANA and some of USANA’s top leaders.

Additionally, there are the materials that Dora and I send out to every new member of our USANA organization which include our USANA Checklist and our 73 page “USANA Success Manual”. We have created and refined these two documents over the past 14 years to complement the USANA BDS to make the training and education process as efficient as possible. I would also point out that we provide all of this information to our team members for FREE. We never charge team members, or crossline Associates, for our time and our training.

I want to emphasize that the few items that I just mentioned – The USANA Today web site, the eApprentice, BDS, our checklist and “USANA Success Manual” – contain all the information that any Associate could ever need to build a USANA business of any level desired, from Gold Director to 20 Star Diamond Director.

Let me repeat that: The few items that I just mentioned – The USANA Today web site, the eApprentice, BDS, our checklist and “USANA Success Manual”  – contain all the information that any Associate could ever need to build a USANA business of any level desired, from Gold Director to 20 Star Diamond Director.

And guess what? ALL of this information is available to all USANA Associates at an initial cost of $29.95US for the BDS, and an ongoing cost of just $19.95US every four weeks for the Online Income Maximizer.

What concerns me is that there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of training tools, materials and “systems” offered by various trainers (including some USANA Associates) and companies. I won’t name any names, but, I will tell you that, in my opinion, most of these tools, materials and systems are nothing more than another version of all the information already contained in the USANA eApprentice and BDS, and are basically a waste of time and money which only serves to confuse and frustrate the Associates who are lured by the promises of these items.

Granted, there are some good third-party books such as the “45 Second Presentation That Can Change Your Life” by Don Failia and “Mailbox Money” by Richard Brooke which can be used for both recruiting and training, but beyond that, one will get little, if any return on their investment for anything else being sold out there.

More important than the training materials available is having an understanding various types of Associates on our teams and how to approach training them:

There are four types:

Willing and Able

These people are relatively rare. They are self-starters. They may or may not have prior network marketing experience. Just tell them where to find things, and they will take it from there. You should certainly, however, be sure to walk through our USANA Checklist with these people so that noting is overlooked

Willing and Unable

These people have good intentions, but require more help. You will need to schedule time with them to walk through each of the key training topics. They will keep appointments with you for training and do what is asked of them. This is where the majority of your team members will fall. At one time, surveys showed that over 80% of USANA Associates were new to network marketing. You have a major responsibility to insure that these people have the training and understanding they need to build a USANA business. It is my opinion that the major weakness of most USANA Associates is understanding the compensation plan. As you may know, we have conducted several compensation plan quizzes through our USANA e-mail distribution list. Of those who made an effort to solve the quiz and submit an answer, fewer than one third were able to correctly answer even the most basic solutions. If you want to succeed in USANA, make sure that you understand the compensation plan and that all of your team members do as well. Remember, you can’t win the game if you don’t know the rules.

Unwilling and Able

These people can build a business, but they will find every excuse why they don’t have the time to learn how to do things right. They are usually successful in other areas of their life and may be successful professionals such as doctors, attorneys, business owners, etc. All you can do is make a reasonable attempt to review the USANA training items with them. If that is not possible, let them know where they can find what they need to know and make yourself available if they ever decide to get serious about USANA.

Unwilling and Unable

These people are also relatively rare. They have no goals or focus and even if they did, they are easily distracted by others and outside forces. They may have appeared to be motivated during the prospecting and enrollment process, but that turns out to not be the case as you get to know them better. Their lack of motivation and inability to commit to being successful often shows up in other areas of their life.

In summary, training is extremely important to allow you and your team to succeed in USANA.

The good news is that you have everything you need to learn everything you need to know, and you have everything you need to share that knowledge with everyone on your team.

Best of success!

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