If you’re a team leader in the direct sales industry, you know how difficult it can be to keep your consultants motivated. Sure, you have your superstars but there are times when even the highest-selling members of your team need encouraging because of slow sales, busy schedules, or because life simply gets in the way.

Here are five ways to encourage your team so they feel good about themselves, the work they are doing, and the choice they made to join your team.

Communicate Regularly And Throw A Party

Possibly the most important step to motivating your team is to communicate with them on a regular basis. That means set regular meetings with your consultants, whether that’s weekly or monthly. Ask them how they are doing, what kind of help they need, and offer them an ear so they can vent if they need to. Taking this a step further, Christine Tylee, founder of Direct Sales Inspiration, suggests going beyond traditional communication methods and throwing a mega party to revitalize your team and inspire them to get back into action. Mega parties are large parties where multiple team members book tables that they are responsible for filling with guests. Sales and bookings are taken by the consultant who’s invited that guest. The team leader (that would be you) is responsible for running the party while the team members at each table make sure they have all of the relevant products, samples and info for the guests.

Show Appreciation

Part of communicating regularly is letting your team know how much you appreciate their hard work and dedication. This is especially important as your team increases in size. The last thing you want to do is to make the team members who’ve been with you since the beginning feel less important than your new ones. A good way to do this is to give your more seasoned consultants mentor roles to help your newer employees. This not only helps your team’s morale, but it also creates trust and loyalty among them, helping you create and keep a tight-knit team that will stick with you through thick and thin. Another way to show your team appreciation is simply to compliment them. “Don’t sit on a compliment if you have one or think the only time it’s appropriate to praise your team is during the holiday season,” says Holly Reisem Hanna, founder of The Work at Home Woman website. “Hard work seldom goes unnoticed and acknowledgement of this is often the biggest motivator of all. If you see someone going the extra mile whether that means staying late to wrap up a project or taking the initiative to reach out to a partner on their own, thank that team member.”

Show Encouragement

While encouraging your team on a regular basis is a must, it’s especially important when you have team members who are feeling discouraged. Direct selling is a tough profession; one where rewards can sometimes seem few and far between. Offering encouragement to your consultants and providing them with tips, tricks and training can help raise their confidence to sell more products and feel like a more valuable member of your team. Famed direct sales consultant Jillysue says a great way of doing this is to, “Recognize! Recognize! Recognize! Give praise when someone has ideas, drop names constantly during your meetings. Recognize in the newsletter, on Facebook, on calls. Anywhere you can! When people are a part of something and they know the people in the group know who they are, they want more and that means working their business to achieve that.”