Recruiter or Sponsor

I was talking to a good friend and fellow network marketer on the phone last night.  I was telling her about my "recruiting" troubles.  She posed a question that is the basis for today's blog.  She said, "Carrie, are you recruiting or sponsoring?" 

The Recruiter
As a recruiter, you are talking to people and bringing them onto your team for the sole purpose of making money off of them.  A recruiter does not establish any personal relationship with their team and their teammates have to seek them out for any guidance. 

Recruiters only do ONE job - bring people aboard.  They do not worry about training people because if that person cannot be successful on their own, the recruiter will bring on someone else to fill their spot. 

The Sponsor
As a sponsor, you take the time to establish a relationship with people before bringing them into your business.  You have a true desire to help people and ensure that your business is going to be the "right" business for the individual.  After the relationship has been established and fit has been determined, you sponsor that person into your team.  As a sponsor you feel that it is your duty to spend time with your new team member - talking, training, and helping that person become successful. 

A sponsor's duty does not end after the new team member starts sponsoring others and sharing product.  As a sponsor, you are also trying to help your team member educate and train their new team members.  A sponsor truly cares about those on his or her TEAM.

Whose Business Do You Want to Join
Now that you know the difference between a recruiter and a sponsor, which business would you be more likely to join? I don't know about you, but I would much rather have a sponsor as my upline. I like to be able to talk with my sponsor, ask questions, and receive comfort and encouragement when I am in a rut.

I enjoy being an individual and doing my own thing, but also being part of something larger, a TEAM. Take your family for example. I am sure that there are activities or hobbies that you enjoy. For me, I absolutely love to read a book or do a quick Sodoku game. I also love being a part of something bigger, a part of my family. I enjoy being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc and participating in family activities.

What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be
If you answered above that you would want to join a sponsor's business over the business of a recruiter, I would also guess that you would like to think of yourself as a sponsor instead of a recruiter.  I go back to my friend's original question, "Carrie, are you recruiting or sponsoring?"  I am a sponsor.  I spend time talking with people to really get to know who they are and what they are looking for.  I only want to sponsor like-minded people into my business.  I have also realized in my short network marketing career that by building relationships and helping my TEAM build a team that the money will follow.  For me, however, it is not about the money, it is about the satisfaction of helping people. 

I have been told hundreds of times that network marketing is a numbers game.  I feel a bit sorry for the people who think this way.  People are not a number.  Network marketing is a "RELATIONSHIP GAME".  As a sponsor, you are establishing relationships with many people and making the decision about who is going to be a good fit for your TEAM. 


I hope that if you are searching for a home-business, that this will help you distinguish the kind of person you are speaking with on the phone or in person or if you are in a home-business already, I hope that this helps you determine the kind of leader that you are striving to become.