By Janet Daniels

I have never met a leader who likes to have the “sidewalk talk.”  You know the one I mean. It’s like when you walk with a 3-year old and they want to pick your neighbor’s flowers.  Have you ever had to have the “stay on the sidewalk” talk with an adult?  It’s not easy.  Here is a three-step process that you can follow.

All companies have guidelines and policies that they expect their sales force to follow.  There are probably more ways to get off the walk than on it, and here are some of the more common ones:

  • Not following social media policies
  • Using the logo inappropriately
  • Selling at events (if your company doesn’t allow it)
  • Violating the host program
  • Taking clients, hostesses or recruits from another consultant
  • Inappropriate discounting of products or selling sales aids like products.
  • And other policies that are unique to your company

At first, you probably want to ignore these situations because you don’t like confrontation. Of course, the situation just gets worse when you don’t handle it. So you need to figure out a way to have these “sidewalk talks” when needed. Here are the three steps.

  • Talk to your team member and find out their side of the story. This needs to be done on the phone or in person. It’s not a discussion for text or email. You may say:

“I have a situation I need to talk to you about. Tell me what happened when ….” Ask questions to find out their side of the story.

  • Explain the policy/rule and why it was made.

“May I share with you the policy/guideline that we follow when this happens?”

  • Make an action plan to resolve the issue or to avoid it next time.

“What will you do to resolve this issue?”

“What will you do next time to avoid this situation?”

When you follow the talking points, you can have the sidewalk talks without drama. This type of conversation doesn’t have to be accusatory or confrontational. Isn’t a productive conversation a better choice?

How Do You Plan To Stay Out of Drama?

If you don’t recognize what-sets-you-off, then you will stay struck in that energy draining, sleep disturbing, nonproducing territory.

Coming in January, Team Connections Pro is offering a 4 session series on Secrets Weapons to Eliminate Drama.  If you register soon, you receive:

  • 4 live (also recorded) webinars
  • 2 one-on-one power coaching calls
  • 60 days access to Team Connections Pro.

If you register early, your cost is $47.  More details can be found in the description of Secret Weapons to Eliminate Drama.

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