Network marketing is an opportunity. An opportunity to meet positive people. An opportunity to earn an extra income. An opportunity to reignite your personal enthusiasm for life. An opportunity to build a business. And, an opportunity to create wealth.
President Calvin Coolidge posted a sign in the Oval Office that said “The business of America is business.” And it is. You live in a land of opportunity. Each year over 100,000 Americans achieve million-dollar net worth status. On average, 74% of these people achieve wealth through business ownership, while another 5% achieve wealth through sales commissions. Network marketing combines business ownership with sales, putting the MLM distributor in the same career fields as 79 out of 100 of every new millionaire in America. That’s not to say they all achieved wealth through network marketing; however, as a business owner and salesperson, you’re in the same ballpark.
Opportunity does not, sadly, mean the same thing as promise. Opportunity means potential. Achieving that potential is up to you. Promises mean nothing here. Save the promises for your sweetheart, this is business. And never forget, network marketing is big business.
The sole purpose of this workbook is to help you realize the potential of the network marketing opportunity. In other words, my goal is to help you succeed as a network marketer. I’ll let you know right off, I measure my success in terms of my progress towards my long term goal to achieve wealth.
Putting money in my hip pocket is why I choose to sell products and recruit leaders. I am successful when I do those things necessary to move me in the direction of my goals. I fail when I do not take decisive action to achieve my goals. If you share my interests, you’ve come to the right place.
I know that you may have spiritual, educational, or health goals beyond making money, and I invite you to discuss these goals with your minister, school counselor, and physician. This workbook, however, is focused on the financial aspects of your life. What is your current income? How does your income match with your standard of living or retirement goals? How much money would you need to make to live the life you desire?
I cannot answer those questions for you, but I can present you with a tool to achieve a higher income, and perhaps an alternative to your daily work routine that will have you jumping out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm. This tool is Network Marketing. But like any tool, its proper use takes training and experience.
In 12 years of selling and using products associated with various network marketing companies, and experiencing the highs and lows of network marketing, I have seen people quit the business after a month of not being able to recruit anybody into their organization. I have also seen lost sales opportunities because the marketer did not know his product, or how to demonstrate and discuss the product’s features, advantages, and benefits.
There is more to this business than just being excited, or sharing your dreams with prospects (although both of these are important). Successful network marketers know there are four essential tools required to make this business work:
• Selling
• Recruiting
• Training
• Attitude
Each of these tools works together to support network marketing. Imagine an air compressor. The compressor is made of many components, such as the tank, pump, hose, and hose attachments. Try to inflate a tire with one of these components missing. After a little effort, you are sure to either quit in frustration. Network marketing is just like this compressor. It is made up of components, and all must work together for the business to function.
In short, people fail in this business because they neglect to take the time to learn how to use the tools in their network marketing toolbox. Give yourself a break. Learn how to use your product. Become familiar with its features. Be able to answer the first question out of any customer’s mouth: “Why should I buy this product from you?” before becoming frustrated by your lack of instant stardom.
I propose you master the art of selling your product before worrying about recruiting people. The first 90 days in this business are stressful enough as it is. If you dive in trying to recruit people the first day, rest assured the rejection you face will be overwhelming.
If you will devote the first 90 days to contacting potential customers and servicing those customers however, you will face less rejection, and you will see an immediate return no your efforts, in the form of cold hard cash, that you can deposit in the hip national bank. In polite business terms, this is known as margin, or profit. Your sales activity will generate enthusiasm among your customers as they witness first hand your success.
In my experience, a satisfied customer will make the best prospect for your recruiting goals later on. I experienced this firsthand in 1979. A coworker introduced me to a detergent produced by Amway (a great company, which I do not represent). I bought a box of soap from this man every month for over six months before he even bothered to mention that he was a Direct Distributor for Amway, and that distributor opportunities were available.
This may be too extreme for you, but I was impressed by my friend’s relaxed approach to network marketing. He suggested a product to me, gave me a small sample, and a week later asked me if I wanted to buy some. That was the extent of his sales technique. Rather than try to recruit me to join his organization before I knew a thing about the product line, or his company’s integrity, he asked me to become a regular customer. He introduced me to the product, and Amway’s quality brought me back.
Network Marketing can be stressful, if you allow it to be. In my experience, the source of this stress is lack of skills and confidence, coupled with desire and big goals. This is a classic example of conflict, where a person’s wants are held just out of reach by a bevy of obstacles. The big goals and desires are necessary for your motivation, but you need to recognize that acquiring skills and confidence will take time.
Take the time to learn your trade, and set realistic goals that match your knowledge level and time commitment. It always amazes me that people want to join network marketing and make a million dollars the first year, before they have even secured their first sale. Would you like a surgeon operating on your child before going to medical school? How about allowing a person to prepare your taxes before learning the tax code? We expect professionals to be trained, qualified, and certified prior to operating on us or completing our tax forms. Should we not expect the same standards for ourselves when we go into business?
I had a similar experience with a career ambition to become an electrician. I was shocked to discover I would need 6,000 hours of documented electrical work experience before being considered for an apprentice position. That’s over three years of full time work, just to get started on the bottom rung of its formal training program that would one day lead to a journeyman or master skill level certification. Yet as network marketers we expect to be shown the big money by next Thursday, at the latest. This is a recipe for disaster and disillusionment.
If you have already joined a network marketing organization, I want you to consider this plan of action: Within the next 24 hours find one person who will buy your product. Forget about recruiting for the moment. Concentrate on generating personal sales volume. Don’t get distracted by recruiting goals, conventions, fancy cars and wardrobes, or the income of people in your upline. Focus on creating a small batch of regular customers.
After you have 9 regular customers, broaden your scope of operations to finding one person to join your organization, and then help that person find 9 regular customers. As they say on the back of shampoo bottles: Repeat as necessary. Helping other people succeed is the heart of network marketing.
Some MLM industry analysts’ claim only 10% of active network marketers receives a commission check each month. This does not mean MLM is not a viable business opportunity. What it does mean is that up to 90% of network marketers choose to attempt recruiting people into the business, without attempting to make sales. As you will learn in this workbook, I believe this approach is backwards and foolhardy. Build a regular customer base and you will be a part of the 10% that receives a commission check each month.
Your prospects will see your success and be encouraged to follow your lead into the business. We all love success and want to be around successful people. Your record of making consistent sales will be seen as proof that the business works. By the way, make a show of handing out commission checks during your opportunity meetings. You do not need to disclose the amount of the checks to the audience unless the recipient requests it. Just the spectacle of active sellers receiving cash back from the company will motivate others to focus on making sales of their own.
A second concern in network marketing is the dropout rate of starters. The statistics are grim, but they do not have to apply to you. According to MLM company averages, up to 90% of starters quit the company within a 1-2 year period. What the statistic does not show is where the quitters have gone. Many still believe in the MLM opportunity, but have chosen to change companies. In my experience, the leading cause of this departure is related to the new marketer’s relationship with his or her upline. An upline that does not train, or support its downline is worthless, and you can’t blame people for not wanting to hitch their dreams to a falling star. For fall they will. Always remember, in network marketing, you succeed by helping the people you sponsor into the business succeed.
The concept of network marketing is so powerful that many companies cannot resist the lure of creating a huge sales force to market their products and services. These companies will resort to any unscrupulous act or promise imaginable to draw you in. Of particular concern are offers made through the Internet.
Avoid the email spam scams. Stick with legitimate companies, with longstanding records of delivering a quality product to its customers. Don’t be fooled by Internet offers. MLM is a belly-to-belly business. That is, it depends on people meeting with people to trade goods and services, and discuss business opportunities. It is not a hands-off, lazy man’s way to riches. MLM takes work and discipline—which is what makes the rewards worth striving for. Please don’t be fooled. If you learn nothing else from this workbook, your wariness towards the MLM charlatans that want to steal both your money and your dreams, will make the price of this workbook worthwhile.
My objectives in this workbook are to convince you that network marketing is a viable business opportunity, show you how I think you should get started, and present some techniques of recruiting, training, and selling that you can add to your network marketing toolbox. Be a professional. Learn your trade before expecting to be paid vast sums of money.
I invite you to turn the page and begin your apprenticeship training. And by the way, in network marketing, we measure success in terms of money earned, not years of loyal service, college degrees, or inheritances. Make a sale today, and you’re on your way.