Handling Disagreements with Cluster Consultants: A Guide for PC Consultants

[jaye]

Not really sure where to put this, so I am sorry if it is in the wrong forum.

Does anyone have a problem with the people in their cluster? Or not get along with someone? How do you resolve issues with another PC consultant when you think that what they do isn't right or fair?

For instance, I worked an event (fall festival) where I got about $120 in sales and a bunch of leads. I worked the event with another PC consultant and we split the leads. I even split the commission that I made with her - not that it was much.

She decided that she didn't have time to call the leads, I asked for them back, she said that she would call eventually. Well, another consultant overheard this and asked the girl for the leads. I was like, "nooooo, I worked the event. If she isn't going to call them, I would really like them back."

But, the second PC consultant is so high and mighty and so condescending that I don't even want to attend any cluster meetings AT ALL now.

Anyone have a similar story? situation? resolution?

BTW, I am also the type of person who gets along WITH EVERYONE!

THANKS!

 

[CAmomCookin4U]

Not really sure where to put this, so I am sorry if it is in the wrong forum.

Does anyone have a problem with the people in their cluster? Or not get along with someone? How do you resolve issues with another PC consultant when you think that what they do isn't right or fair?

For instance, I worked an event (fall festival) where I got about $120 in sales and a bunch of leads. I worked the event with another PC consultant and we split the leads. I even split the commission that I made with her - not that it was much.

She decided that she didn't have time to call the leads, I asked for them back, she said that she would call eventually. Well, another consultant overheard this and asked the girl for the leads. I was like, "nooooo, I worked the event. If she isn't going to call them, I would really like them back."

But, the second PC consultant is so high and mighty and so condescending that I don't even want to attend any cluster meetings AT ALL now.

Anyone have a similar story? situation? resolution?

BTW, I am also the type of person who gets along WITH EVERYONE!

THANKS!

Hi Jaye,
Sadly you will find some un-ethical ones out there. Don't cut yourself off from your cluster because of them. Instead see how much more you can participate and absorb from your up-line and OTHER cluster members(this way you won't be able to observe her negativity).
Then work your hiny off fo that you will have your OWN cluster meetings!
Good Luck you can do it . Just remember when you were little there was always some kids that didn't get along with others. & Keep Smiling. Laurel

 

[letscook04]

You have every right to those leads!!! I would talk to your director. Hang in there and Good Luck!!

 

[ShanaSmith]

I think you find these people in every business, espcially those where you work on commission. After years in big ticket sales I learned that the best thing you can do it take the high road. Do the very best job you can, and show others that you don't have to cheat or cut corners to get ahead. Yes I would be upset about it too, but I would just try to do it differently next time and move on. You know that you did what you felt was right at the time.

 

[jaye]

Unfortunately, this is just ONE example of the things that this person does. I have spoken with my director and I just hate to sound petty and childlike. It sounds silly, "teacher, she stole my leads!" LOL!I live so far away from my director that it's an hour drive and then to put up with this kind of thing is just ridiculous!THANKS!

 

[ShanaSmith]

Perhaps you just need to say that to your director. That you don't want to sound like you are running to teacher, but that this person is making you very uncomfortable and you don't feel like you are getting as much out of the meeting because of her behavior. I'm sure your director doesn't want you to stop coming to meeting. That is such a hard place, they don't train us on how to handle people so much as business. She probably needs to set some meeting ground rules, and just address them to everyone. Basic things like no kids, everyone needs a turn to share ideas, follow up with your leads and be curtious to your fellow consultants....... Then she would have a bacis to tell the other consultant that it is time to stop whatever she is doing. I don't know how close you are with your director, but perhaps you can suggest that she sets these rules out as part of the new years program.

Sorry I don't have a better answer for you, we have all been there at some point. Stick with it and remember, if you can hold your ground everthing else will change. That is what got me through some wicked co-workers in the past.

 

[jaye]

Thanks everyone for your assistance!

 

[rebeccastt]

She probably needs to set some meeting ground rules, and just address them to everyone. Basic things like no kids, everyone needs a turn to share ideas, follow up with your leads and be curtious to your fellow consultants.......

I've had problems at my cluster meetings with people bringing their children (not babies..they are usually quiet), and the kids get so rowdy that I cannot hear what my director is talking about. Our last meeting was CRAZY!! There were about 6 kids and they were in the same room as us...way too loud.

How many of you have directors that ask that children do not come to cluster meetings? I wonder if my director would head that way...she has trouble with the noise factor when the kids are there, but I don't think she would tell the ladies not to brink their kids for fear that they would just stop coming all together.

I understand that there are babysitting issues sometimes, but it is really hard to get something out of our meetings when there is so much noise!

 

[Cookin'InTX]

Just my opinionI think asking for the leads back was fair. If she isn't going to work them, then the first person she could have offered them to was you. If you choose not to accept them, then she could have offered them to someone else. I have had issues with other members in my cluster and I hasve just made it a point to let someone know when I don't feel that I'm being treated fairly. If you don't stick up for yourself, no one else will.

 

[AJPratt]

It makes NO sense for this other girl to call them. YOU or the other girl need to do it. They didn't meet the other one.

I did an event when I was new and the woman who was paired with me was butting in between me and people I was talking to and interrupting. She was so mean to me.

My advice to your situation is some advice my Dad always gave me: Always be honest and speak your mind. You might not have a lot of friends, but you'll never have any enemies because everyone will always know where you are coming from. Deal with this now before it gets any more out of hand. Talk to your director with the facts and let her know how this is affecting your business, because it will affect hers as well--she should be aware of it. "If you were in this situation, how would you handle it?"

 

[soccermama]

I think that as a general rule, "No kids at meetings" could work.... but if it's not a flexible rule, it keeps people from coming to meetings, IMHO. My kids usually spend the night with my sister when I go to my meetings, because the meetings are 6:30-8:30 and an hour away There have been times that this option was not available, though. So I bring the kids with me. They sit in the corner with books, crayons, etc (quiet things ONLY!) and are not allowed to get up, except to go to the bathroom. Other people have brought kids, too, and they have all been just as well-behaved.

If I were running my own meetings, I would keep it flexible as far as kids are concerned, but would expect that if a child is acting up, getting loud, etc that the parent take the child out of the meeting so the rest of the group could hear what's going on.

Like I said... in the year I've been with this cluster, kids haven't caused any problems..... hopefully it stays that way, because "1 bad apple can ruin the whole bunch".......

 

[DebbieJ]

Our meetings are with my director and one of her downline directors, so it's pretty big. We meet in a room at a local restaurant. No one has ever brought their children.

Anytime I have any type of activity or meeting that is meant to be adults only, I always have babysitting available. For example, I am hosting a Traveling Vineyard wine tasting tomorrow and that is definitely not a kid friendly event. However, I have secured a babysitter to corral the children in another room. I know I get annoyed when there are kids at my shows that interrupt my demo so I didn't want to do that to my TV consultant.

I tried to arrange a New Consultant Training at my house and offered the same, but it never came to fruition.

 

[mykids326]

We ate not allowed kids at the meeting . And I have to say I think a lot of people are anti kids because they dont have them. But I have missed a meeting because of no babysitter

 

[mykids326]

sorry about that I just read my post omg I was not speaking elglish sorry im tired. What I meant to say was that we are not allowed to bring the kids to metting at all . No Tolerance

 

[Chef Diane]

we're not allowed to bring our kids either, my directors kids aren't even there.

 

[nikked]

The kids thing

I've had problems at my cluster meetings with people bringing their children (not babies..they are usually quiet), and the kids get so rowdy that I cannot hear what my director is talking about. Our last meeting was CRAZY!! There were about 6 kids and they were in the same room as us...way too loud.

How many of you have directors that ask that children do not come to cluster meetings? I wonder if my director would head that way...she has trouble with the noise factor when the kids are there, but I don't think she would tell the ladies not to brink their kids for fear that they would just stop coming all together.

I understand that there are babysitting issues sometimes, but it is really hard to get something out of our meetings when there is so much noise!

Flexibility AND rules are the key, I think when it comes to this area. In my cluster, a lot of husbands are deployed and/or work nights, and if we didn't allow kids, most wouldn't come (not that we have a lot anyways, but it would make a dent!)

So our rule of thumb it, no kids if at all possible. But if "no kids" is keeping you from the meeting, we'd rather have the kids!

A lot of people can't afford a babysitter, even for something as important as a meeting, and that is definitely something that needs to be taken into consideration.

The kids that come to ours are well behaved and always have something with them to do, so they are not a problem at all...or I might have a different view point on the issue!

Could it be suggested to the group that seems to always be bringing their kids to "share" a babysitter at the location? Maybe a teen with nursery experience from the church would be willing to come in and coral them if every parent pitched in so much per kid, or maybe one of the consultants has an older teenage child willing to do it.

A gentle explanation that as the cluster meetings have grown, and more kids are in attendance, the need has arisen for a more organized approach to them. That way, they don't get offended at "your kids are too rowdy"...it's more of a "there are too many kids, let's find a way to make this work for everyone".

I think that's the approach I would take in that situation...HTH!

 

[pamperedgirl3]

I would never think to bring kids to a business meeting. I also would never bring them to a show. The only people who do bring their kids are nursing mothers who bring their newborns to feed them. My director's children are in their rooms or in the basement during the entire meeting. I guess if you absolutely could not find someone to watch them for the meeting, it would be okay to bring them just for that time. But it is a business meeting & I don't see many people bringing their children to day jobs with them if they can't find someone to watch them. Sorry-just my opinion. Of course, many of the people in my cluster have very small children, so it WOULD be absolute chaos if we brought them to meetings!!

 

[ShanaSmith]

Boy, I didn't know I was going to start such a fire. I brought up the no kid thing because we had a problem with it at my meeting last month. Most of us have small children, but my son is never home when we have meetings. I have had to miss a meeting because I didn't have anyone to watch my son, he was very young and probably would have been fine, but that was the rule. I think for the most part, if you are taking your business seriously, then the meetings should be important enough to plan ahead for childcare when possible. Of course there are exeptions.

 

[cmdtrgd]

My director's take is: 1. it is a business meeting and if you don't treat it as one, you're not going to have a business and 2. others have made arrangements for babysitters so if kids are brought, how does it make those who have paid for babysitting feel? Also, if there is a problem that arises, call her and she will try to get you in contact with another cluster member who might be able to share babysitting.

 

[nikked]

Different strokes, different folksA lot of this depends on the area and the cluster, I think. Quite literally, if we had a hard and fast no kids rule, we would have 2 people plus me and my AD most months.

Most people work this business to spend more time with their families and to supplement income. If a consultant can't afford a sitter, and a family member or friend isn't available (which is very common in the military), and he or she wants to grow his or her business by attending meetings, who am I to say he or she can't come?

I know clusters who successfully run meetings with an absolute no kids allowed policy, and I know others who bring in a sitter and share the cost (as mentioned in my previous post). Find what works best for your cluster, and go with it.

I guess because in the past money has been a real issue for me, as a single mom and as a young, newly married enlisted wife, I understand that sometimes a babysitter is not an option. For myself, I say I'd rather have them WITH the kiddos than not come at all.

 

[AJPratt]

ShanaSmith: See what you started?! Just kidding! You never know where a post will lead you!

My director's daughter is availabe to watch the kids in the basement and I think it works out great. They are occupoed, she does an amazing job, there is no noise and we have a great meeting! I would love to be able to do something like that for my shows... bring her along if anyone has kids and offer that as a service.

 

[pamperedgirl3]

Anne, I do think that's a great idea. I personally feel that this is a business & if you want to succeed, you need to treat it as such. Of course, life's not perfect & childcare isn't always available, so having a sitter available for the meetings is a nice alternative.

 

[jaye]

I don't bring my kids to meetings. I look at it like it's my job! However, there are two occasions in which I had to; one was my baby when he was a newborn, no one even knew he was there. The second time was I had been out all day with my oldest and my director lives an hour away, so I couldn't spare the two hours to drive from her side of town to drop him at home with DH and then back again. I gave him his GameBoy (a toy that is used only when we have him somewhere and I need to keep him occupied and quiet) and he played quietly by himself until my director's children came home, then he went and played with them. I don't make a practice of it. It's too distracting for me, more than anything else!!Years ago, I did actually bring my son to a show with me once. I had a sitter, she canceled at 4 PM and I had a show at 6 PM. I called the host and said that I was trying to find another sitter and I was trying to alternately see if another consultant was available to do her show, in case a sitter wasn't available. She said... bring him along, her grandkids were going to to be there. He had a lot of fun, and the kids all took turns helping me out and using the APCS. But, would I just bring my son without warning, NO WAY! And personally, I don't like to... I have enough to worry about and take care of without wondering what he is doing all the time! Jaye

 

[cmdtrgd]

Oh, I did want to add that if there is a baby, especially a nursing one, that is a different story.

 

[baychef]

Glad we are talking about this can of worms!! I think this is a struggle with all directors and I too have tossed this back and forth...until our August meeting. One child that was at the meeting was so very good. But people didn't notice that her Mom had to continually talk to her and coach her along so Mom gained nothing from the meeting. Other children were running in and out...acting like kids and it was very distracting. I did make the rule of no children at meetings. I believe that the investment in a babysitter for a few hours will be paid back many times over if someone puts into action even part of what the meeting had to offer. My meetings are now called M&M...Monthly Motivations. Sort of corny, but the word "meeting" sounds so boring and my goal is to have people get jazzed back up for the month ahead. I know I lose some, but those that attend gain so much more. I suggest that they swap child care time with a neighbor. I too live in an area where the husbands are deployed but there are also husbands that work overtime and many other situations that present challenges. If they treat their meeting like I show, it will pay them back. Those that attend most always have a stronger business. Just my 2 cents. I love hearing how others are handling this obstacle.

 

[ange13]

We have strict rule, no kids, no matter what. Then there is no issue. everyone knows they need to get sitters. and everyone who goes has a good business--the ones who dont go, are very part timers. of course there is always the chance of an issue, but in the 12 years that we've been doing them, the only issue that has come up that presented a problem was when the kids of the house we were to be at got sick and we had to find an alternative place in a hurry--but then we just moved to a local restaurant and things worked out fine.

I agree with the above too, treat it like a show and you'll always be covered!

 

[erinyourpclady]

I have never been to a meeting...of ANY kind business wise where it was permissable to bring your children! I am sorry but this is a business meeting and as far as I am concerned not a place for children.
FYI~ I have 4 children and a husband that is gone for work ALL the time. I treat meetings just the same as I treat shows. I would not bring my children to any other job I have and I will not bring them to this one.
I personally have had one to many meetings interupted by children whose parents who SWEAR up and down that their child is SO well-behaved.
My upline does not allow it and I do not allow it.

I don't mean to be harsh or another word I am thinking of that rhymes with itchy , I just feel that there is a time for your children to be involved in your business and a time for them not to be. It is hard work to get everything organized for a meeting with 20 consultants just to have half the meeting devoted to shushing or chasing kids.

Just MHO~

 

[Rebeccascabinet]

I have to agree with the no kids allowed meetings. I have 3 boys under 8 years old and I know its difficult, but our meetings are once a month and we know months in advance when they are and that gives me plenty of time to find a sitter. Sometimes its hubby (he ususally works thoses nights), friends, neighbors, or the teen age girl I pay, but I never bring my kids. This is a business and I treat it that way. I've only missed one meeting when my babysitter couldn't do it and my back up all canceled too. Thats life and I just stayed home that night.

 

[AJPratt]

Not really sure where to put this, so I am sorry if it is in the wrong forum.

Does anyone have a problem with the people in their cluster? Or not get along with someone? How do you resolve issues with another PC consultant when you think that what they do isn't right or fair?

For instance, I worked an event (fall festival) where I got about $120 in sales and a bunch of leads. I worked the event with another PC consultant and we split the leads. I even split the commission that I made with her - not that it was much.

She decided that she didn't have time to call the leads, I asked for them back, she said that she would call eventually. Well, another consultant overheard this and asked the girl for the leads. I was like, "nooooo, I worked the event. If she isn't going to call them, I would really like them back."

But, the second PC consultant is so high and mighty and so condescending that I don't even want to attend any cluster meetings AT ALL now.

Anyone have a similar story? situation? resolution?

BTW, I am also the type of person who gets along WITH EVERYONE!

THANKS!

Jaye: Just wondering... We've gone a little OT (myself included). Did you get the help you needed?

 

[chefann]

Jaye,

I do feel bad that this happened to you. There's a woman in my cluster who tends to be very "I know better than everyone" about food (she's studying to be a nutritionist). The first meeting she attended, we made a recipe with frozen bread dough, and she went on for 20 minutes about how terrible ALL prepared foods are and that if we didn't have time to make homemade bread dough, then we should at least get organic whole-grain, blah blah blah. She rubs many of the women in the cluster the wrong way.

At this point, we just ignore her. Luckily, she's not stealing leads or anything, just being annoying about food. But I'd hate to be a guest at her shows - I'm afraid that she'd unintentionally insult everyone's eating habits!

As far as the specific situation that you encountered with the leads, whenever folks in my cluster work an event together, we know that your leads are yours and mine are mine. We use marked drawing slips so that I get the ones from the people who I actually spoke to. Nobody can grab info from the table without talking to a consultant, so we know that they have one specific person's info.

 

[jaye]

Yeah, it just bothers me that the other consultant that I worked with didn't make the calls and the one who didn't work the event is trying to get those leads. We are all wanting to be successful, we are all wanting to be the best, but I will not be best if it means hurting someone else.Also this person who didn't work the event but wanted the leads is such a hog about her business that there was an event that I worked with her and after I spoke with people and got them to want to book a show, I called them the next day to set up the date (I tried to set up the date at the event, but they wanted to look at their calendars), they said they were booking with her. She would talk to everyone after I spoke with them.It's just irritating. The other thing that is so weird about this... she lives like an hour and a half from these people and they live about 15 minutes away from me. And she was saying at our last meeting how she hates to drive to my side of town! It's just ridiculous. I left our last meeting seriously not wanting to continue with PC and not wanting to attend any more meetings. I decided not to let her ruin this for me, but her attitude makes me really not want to attend any more meetings. I know that I shouldn't let it bother me, but she isn't the only one, she is just the worst of the bunch.

 

[Rebeccascabinet]

I would def. talk to your director about this situation.