One of the reasons that so many people are not successful with network marketing is because they give up too early. Now don’t get me wrong it can appear to be a tough business at the beginning. Recruiting, training, selling, promoting, it can seem like a huge learning curve of "things to do" and when you are not used to running a business in that way it can be easier to give up than go on.
Below are 11 steps you can take to ensure you enjoy success with network marketing, stay on the road to success and avoid potential pitfalls.
1. Be prepared to handle rejection.
Who said that any kind of selling was easy? But it all comes down to attitude. If you can understand that a rejection of the opportunity that you are so excited about is not a rejection of you as a person, then you are on your way. "No" must be interpreted as "next". This is easier said than done but it’s the price of success.
2. Be realistic in your expectations.
All new businesses take time to develop and grow. If you go into a network marketing opportunity and raise your bar to a level you can’t reach you will soon become disappointed. By the same token I never want to dampen a persons enthusiasm if they truly believe that they can achieve high numbers in a short time. However, many times unrealistic expectations are set and disappointment often follows.
Would you work out in the gym for an hour and then expect to have rippling muscles? Then why expect a business venture to be off the ground and earning you money within a few weeks? Give it time, this is a new born baby, it takes time to nurture and grow. The potential results are worth the initial effort.
If your attraction to a network marketing company was the sales page that mentioned the salaries of their top recruiters find those people and ask them how long it took them to build their business and how much money and time they had to put into it. This information will give you a clearer picture.
3. Be in it for the long haul
Once you find a reputable company be prepared to stay for the long haul. As mentioned above building your business takes time. The most successful people in life have gone through very trying times but they stuck with it and left a legacy behind. It is often said that tough times don’t last but tough people do. The same is true for those seeking to build a solid residual income. You should commit yourself to at least 3 years before making a decision either way. Yes! That’s right. AT LEAST 3 years. Jumping from one opportunity to the next only shows a lack of decision and stability in your planning.
4. Listen to those who have been successful
Learn from the pros and stick with what works. When you first join a network marketing company it is really easy to "pick holes" in the way things are done. Perhaps you see a better way to achieve something. Well before you rush off and try it contact the "heavy hitters" – the successful people within the company and ask them if it has been tried already. If it ain’t broke then don’t try and fix it.
Be a learner for your first year. Just listen, learn and apply. After you are more established you can always pick up on your idea and if it is a good one then you will have the backing of experience to help you put it in place. Being in a new network marketing company is learning enough for anyone, don’t complicate things by trying to do things your way.
5. Empower your downline members ASAP!
Leveraging other people’s time and skills is the powerful system that lies behind Network Marketing.
Teaching is an important part of the game of building a strong team but some marketers make the mistake of doing too much for their downline members. This often backfires, however, because the downline members become comfortable and depend too heavily on their upline and never grow strong enough to build their own teams.
So it is important that you train your downline members and empower them to take the plunge towards getting going as quickly as possible. Avoid doing too much for them, or making them dependent on contacting you for every little thing.
6. Arrange group rather than one to one discussions
Whenever possible arrange to talk to a group of people at once rather than focus on talking to everyone individually, which will be very time consuming. The best network marketing companies will already have group presentations that you can invite people to attend but you may also want to consider running your own. Other things to try include hosting an online chat room, setting up a toll free number with a recorded message that invites callers to leave their details so that you can return the call.
7. Look for people in need of extra income
Many small businesses are in need to extra revenue to help with cash flow problems. If they offer services they may also be interested in establishing a business that provides passive income – especially if it fits into what they already offer.
The biggest advantage is the fact that you are targeting people who are already motivated and understand what it takes to run a successful business. These individuals will also be networking in their businesses and therefore may be in a position of influence. Professionals that come in contact with a large number of people also make good distributors. The more ‘business minded’ your prospects are the more likely you will recruit them.
8. Make a written plan with all your goals
As a life coach I understand the importance of writing goals down as a way of working towards them. We are more likely to commit to something that is written down, plus you can hang it up within your sight to remind you of what you are working towards when you are in need of motivation. I recommend your top six goals are written out daily and/or read out.
Every business owner should have a goal to which they are aspiring to. If you aim for nothing you are likely to strike it. If your plan is to get to a residual income of $30,000 per month then you should set smaller goals on your way there.
9. Improve your listening and rapport building skills
It is important to improve your listening skills if you want to become a successful network marketer. It is even more important to improve your ability to instantly communicate and bond with people.
At its core, Network Marketing is really people management. If you don’t like dealing with people then this is not for you. You are always going to be in direct or indirect contact with people and so you should brush up on your people skills.
One of those skills that you’ll need to primarily focus on is your listening skills. One of the most common downfalls of MLMers is that they talk too much and don’t listen enough. This applies to the majority of salespeople. You have to always take time to listen to the customer because if you do – they will tell you what they are looking for!
10. Make sure you are continually learning
Stay at your peak at all times by knowing what is going on in your industry. Subscribe to at least one professional MLM journal and a magazine. Attend your company’s meetings and get yourself in with those higher up so that you can be one of the first to learn about new opportunities/changes and pass this on to your team.
11. Produce your own material
If you really want to be known as an expert in your field then you must seriously considering producing your own material. The more opportunity you provide people to see you as someone who knows a lot about what is happening within your company the more chances you have of being able to recruit people to join your team.
Material life special reports, ebooks, podcast, video and audio can all be created to enhance your credibility and unlike the brochure that everyone in your company uses, this is exclusive only to you (and perhaps the members of your team).
I have just provided you with 11 ways to enjoy success with network marketing that will ensure your business stays on the road to success. If you haven’t done this already I encourage you to stop reading and start writing down what your goals are for your business over the next 12 months. Also think about what you have to do to make that happen.
Stay focused, know your direction, get help from your sponsor and make sure you continually support those you introduce. Do these things and you will soon find yourself running a very profitable network marketing team.
