LEΔD is No Longer the Future, It’s What We Do Now

With the summer mere weeks away, we hope interns have been practicing their LEΔD sales talks! Southwestern Advantage leaders are excited to see the inevitable growth in LEΔD sales this summer.

Ryan Davis, the creator of LEΔD, shared his expectations and vision for the future of LEAD:

Q: What do you see for the future of LEΔD in the next year?

A: For our sales & leadership team, we have normalized selling LEΔD. We have seen ten rookies sell LEΔD before they even went through to Sales School. It does not require any advanced sales skills. In fact, it only requires the most basic sales technique of all: showing it to people. Enrolling a new family every day should be the expectation. 

For members, the year ahead will be one where we continue to roll out new and improved streaming content, online courses, and begin to build a sense of community among members. We want to see LEΔD members become connected with others in the program – locally, across the country, and internationally, similar to the connections that dealers can make at SWA.

Q: What do you see for the future of LEΔD in the next five years?

A: We want to see LEΔD grow into a subsidiary business as well as the core product/service of SWA. Our first phase has been making it one of the best products/services we offer. We’ve accomplished that. Next is solidifying and extending the already-great retention we have, and after that, making it into a program that members enjoy so much that they naturally want to come work with us. We plan to continue shifting the internal paradigm from selling books + LEΔD to selling LEΔD + books. SWA is a recruiting business, and it will experience its biggest and best years when thousands of teens and young adults have a positive relationship with Southwestern (via LEΔD) before they ever talk to a recruiter.

Q: What are some components of LEΔD, team members may not know about?

A: Many people are still learning that although we currently target the teen/high school market for selling purposes, the content of the program is meant to be enjoyed by all ages. University students, 20-somethings, pre-teens and parents have all been actively participating in the program – enjoying the streaming content, the books, the challenges, the mentor calls, and group discussions. Ask any of our top campuses that have been going through LEΔD at their campus meetings and they will tell you it’s not a high-school thing and it’s not a program for struggling people who need to get their lives back on track. LEAD (like SWA) is an accelerant for anyone who appreciates self-discipline, building success habits, and choosing ownership over victimhood.

Q: What are your big goals for LEΔD this upcoming sales season?

A: Our baseline is for every single dealer to enroll at least one family. How unfortunate it would be for someone to be handed all the tools and training/support needed to succeed, go invest 3 months of their life visiting thousands of families, and connect zero people to LEΔD. To me, that’s unacceptable. Everyone enrolls someone. LEΔD is no longer the future; it’s what we now do.

Our bigger goals are to 10x our sales from 2022, to see a solid list of dealers enroll 50 or more families (rookies included), and a handful of performers who recognize their opportunity with LEΔD, go all-in, and establish themselves as the voices we listen to most for 2023-2024.

Liz Mendoza, Client Success Specialist and LEΔD mentor, shared her thoughts on the program and increasing its retention:

Q: What are you must excited for, regarding LEΔD?

A: There are a lot of things I am excited for regarding LEΔD! I am most excited for our student reps to find the conviction in LEΔD and truly step into the impact of the LEΔD program. The main reason people come back for another summer and recruit is because they believe Southwestern Advantage is the best organization in the world at helping young people develop the skills and character, they need to achieve their goals in life. Why wouldn’t they want to offer families the opportunity for them to learn all the skills taught in Southwestern? It’s a no brainer! Finding joy in selling LEΔD will add value not only to the families but also to their Southwestern Advantage experience.

When I sold books, once I left the house I always wondered if families got the most out of the books and apps. With LEΔD, knowing that there is customer engagement throughout their entire membership, I now have the confidence that they are maximizing their experience not only with the product, but also with the student rep who offered it. It’s changing the mentality of a transactional sale to a relationship-building one. 

Q: How do you feel LEΔD is making an impact on the students and families that participate?

A: My favorite part of being a LEΔD mentor is seeing how students and families grow throughout the program. After a couple meetings, everyone tends to open up and be more comfortable. As a LEΔD mentor, you truly see the students not for who they are, but for who they are becoming.

In the beginning, mentors get an idea of who the student wants to be and what they want to accomplish in the next couple of months. Nothing is more rewarding than hearing a student accomplish something because they applied the LEΔD principles. It is clear that all the students are growing in their confidence, knowledge, and willingness to continue getting outside of their comfort zone. Families who attend the mentor meeting with their students definitely get the most because everyone is participating and holding each other accountable. 

Q: What ways do we engage with customers to help increase retention and why is customer engagement/your role important?

A: The student reps should be familiar with the 12-step retention process that happens once a family is successfully registered for LEΔD. They receive a welcome email at registration followed by a welcome call done the day after. On this welcome call, we explain the welcome pack, schedule their first mentor meeting, collect testimonials about their dealer, and more. LEΔD members receive a welcome pack that includes their LEΔD book, habit checklist, and more. Throughout the LEΔD program, members receive reminder texts for their 30-min monthly mentor meetings, dealer appreciation videos, thank you letters, incentives, and more.

The objective of the client success team is to reduce 3-day cancellations and extend a student rep’s residual experience by improving the LEΔD member experience. This is done through our retention efforts, giving student reps confidence that their customers are in great hands.