The answer to your question is in the intimate knowledge of the affiliate's goals, motivations and personal preferences.
The description of our role as sponsor is to be "a mentor and a friend". We should have established preferred communication and business relationships with our affiliates to the extent that we have made them comfortable to confide with us on matters of business as well as family.
We can achieve such intimate levels of knowledge and interactions only if we appear to the affiliate as sincerely concerned with their best interest, willing to work with them and help them reach their goals, help them be the best provider they can be to their family, and meet their family's needs. It is also critical to give to the affiliates a clear vision of all the potential SFI has to offer.
Discussing with the affiliate their goals and objectives is among the first tasks of a sponsor-mentor-friend.
From our welcome message, to our continued one-to-one support, our focus should be to help the affiliate get the maximum out of SFI.
If we do the above successfully, it is very unlikely that they would come back to us, to say that SFI is not what they expected.
It may also happen that an affiliate makes such a statement as a way of seeking a deeper understanding and additional help. Or, it may be based on some confusion on specific issues. Our first reaction is to ask for clarification. As we have previously discussed their goals with them, this clarification will weed out any misunderstanding.
If we focus on the larger vision of what SFI offers and what level of success a hard working, highly dedicated affiliate can achieve, any misgiving would be removed.
Then, we can offer additional help such as gift certificates, participation into our sponsoring Co-op, reassignment of other affiliates, etc.
This will likely help the affiliate clear out any confusion they may have had in their mind
However, we also should always be prepared for the unexpected. It is not part of our sponsor role to control an affiliate's personal decisions. Instead, our role is to help them succeed provided that they have such a desire.
The guideline that states "work with the workers" has profound wisdom. It is one of the rules of success and an efficient allocation of our time.
After we have done all that is reasonable to help an affiliate have a clear vision, fully understand the potential and levels of success with SFI, reaffirm their commitment to their goals, we have done our job.
We cannot help somebody who is not willing to work and and do what it take to be successful.
Not over insisting has other merits as well. Maybe this is not the right time for that affiliate. Maybe they are facing personal and family problems they do not want to share with us. Whatever is the case, when those problems are solved, the affiliate will likely remember us as a friend who has ethics, decency and knows the boundaries of personal matters.
They will likely come back to SFI, through our sponsorship.
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