What it Takes to Be Successful in MLM or Network Marketing
by Randy Gage
Network Marketing is perfect for everyone. However, not everyone is
perfect for Network Marketing...
I believe Network Marketing is an amazing business and truly is the last
bastion left in the free enterprise system where someone without education,
famous bloodlines or large investment can become wealthy.
The benefits are extraordinary - unlimited income potential, tax breaks,
travel opportunities, and the chance to help others while you are building
your own success. But it's still not for everyone. Why?
Network marketing takes a certain type of person
So, while I would certainly urge anyone who desires a better lifestyle
to consider Network Marketing as a career choice - before you commit to
doing that, it's better if you give yourself an honest evaluation.
Most people equate security with a nine-to-five job. They see the rat
race as a necessary evil in life.
Network marketers suffer from no such delusions. They see a job as an
insidious trap - one that gives you just enough income so you are afraid
to forego it - yet not enough to achieve any financial independence or
security.
They look at people clawing their way up the corporate structure with
the detached wonder you would expect to see on the face of a ten-year-old
child, watching the activity in an ant farm. They know that we need ants
in this world, but they don't want to be one.
Most people strive to maintain the appearance of having a good job, even
if it's one they despise, because that is what society expects of them.
They look at "real" jobs and the status quo, and just accept
them as necessary evils, because "that's the way
it is." But network marketers dream of a career of limitless potential,
personal development, and growth, and then work until that dream becomes
a reality. We look at the rat race and wonder why people would forego
their human dignity in the pursuit
of a steady paycheck.
Make no mistake: if you need someone checking over your shoulder, you
can't seem to motivate yourself, or you need the security of a Friday
paycheck, then Network Marketing is not for you.
You will need an entrepreneurial mindset if you expect to last in this
business. Not everyone has this. Imagine not getting a paycheck every
Friday. No guarantees. Just a big bonus check, which is directly dependent
on what you produce.
If that scares you, you may be better suited for a corporate job. If that
excites you, then you are a good candidate for the business.
As a rule, strong personality types do best. You must be self-motivated,
able to work without supervision, and good at follow up. And while you
must be a strong personality, you also must be smart. Here's why...
Network Marketing is a business of duplication
A big part of the business is the ability to follow the successful patterns,
strategies, and systems developed by your company and sponsorship line.
It means less personal glory, but more personal security, because your
business is not so dependent on you.
So smart networkers adopt the systems and procedures that have been successfully
demonstrated to work from their sponsorship line. This ultimately gives
you better security, because you can later back off from the business,
without a decrease in earnings.
If you are insecure, the business will be quite difficult for you. You
must have the ability to keep your confidence and maintain your self-esteem
in the face of peer pressure and challenges. What we are doing is different.
Many people are threatened by things they don't understand. That will
make some of the people you know suspicious, others will be skeptical,
and yet others will be jealous.
So when you proudly announce to the world that you have joined a network
marketing company in search of a better lifestyle, don't be surprised
if some of those people assault you with all the reasons you shouldn't...they
wouldn't...and you couldn't, possibly succeed in such a venture.
Then these "well-intentioned" souls will regale you with one
horror story after another, of people who tried Network Marketing and
failed, bought a garage full of products in the dream of instant riches,
or contracted an almost fatal case of hives from using some MLM skin-care
product.
Many people are not willing to be wealthy. They have been raised with
"lack" consciousness. They subconsciously believe they are not
deserving of riches; they mistakenly believe there is something spiritual
about being poor; or they have discovered that becoming wealthy involves
a degree of work.
It's highly likely that these kinds of people are all around you. And
nothing is more threatening to these people than to think that someone
they know is becoming successful. They will do anything in their power
to dissuade you, and in some cases,
actually sabotage you. If you want to make it in the business, you must
believe in it strongly, and not need the validation of others. My career
took a dramatic upswing when I learned a valuable lesson...
I stopped taking financial advice from broke people!
When I started the business, I was penniless and struggling. Unfortunately,
most of the people I knew were also broke and struggling. They all tried
to talk me out of the business and convince me it couldn't work.
I came to realize that these people didn't know anything about business
success. So even though they were well meaning, they were in an area they
were not qualified to give advice on.
I learned to go to people who had already done the business successfully.
When you understand and act on this, you dramatically increase your chances
for success.
Another mandatory requirement for long-term success is conducting your
business with integrity.
Although there are some examples of people bringing down big-dollar incomes
instantly by filling someone's garage full of water filters (or diet cookies,
or whatever), those incomes don't last. It's only a question of time before
these people run out of prospects to front-load and must find a new program
to work where they can start the process all over again. Long term, these
kinds of practices will ultimately destroy your business.
In this business, when you sponsor someone, you are, in essence, his or
her partner and mentor for life. Even after they learn the skills you
teach them and become high-level executives themselves, they will always
look to you as a compass for the moral fiber, accountability and work
habits of the organization. Much more than traditional business, Network
Marketing revolves around the trust between the sponsor and his or her
distributors.
This is the strongest recruiting asset you possess. Millions of people
are fed up with the dysfunctional relationships, gossip, office politics
and lack of accountability in the corporate world. The honesty, accountability
and sense of community in Network Marketing will attract them even more
than the money, cars and trips.
If you ever lie to your distributor - even thinking it's for his own good
- you will destroy the bond that is the foundation of the business. You
will also eliminate one of the most powerful enticements that attract
people into the business. Distributors who have built lasting success
have learned that their word must be their bond, and integrity is sacred.
Good teaching skills
Another important prerequisite for Network Marketing success is good teaching
skills. Here's why...
About ten percent of people are sales types. They like to sell; they're
good at it; and they don't fear rejection. About ninety percent of the
population rank selling on their list of things to do right up there with
jumping into a pit of rattlesnakes. The mere thought of rejection sends
them scurrying for the cover of their comfort zone. If you make cold calling,
knocking on doors, and approaching strangers on street corners part of
your recruiting strategy - you will scare away ninety percent of your
prospects instantly.
Because they cannot see themselves doing those things...
In fact, only one person in a thousand will be successful with those types
of approaches. Worse yet, because these techniques are hard to duplicate,
people will have to keep sponsoring massive numbers of new distributors
on a monthly basis, just to keep their income steady. All the rah-rah
hype they can muster will not change this. They have no residual income
security and will have to rally and rebuild lines every few months.
By contrast, successful network marketers concentrate on simple, duplicatable
actions that they can teach to anyone. Their number one priority is making
sure that their organization knows everything they do. The people they
bring into the business can readily repeat the same actions, so the organization
grows faster.
You will find that schoolteachers, professors, karate instructors, piano
teachers, and anyone with good teaching skills usually excel at Network
Marketing. So if you enjoy teaching, and are good at it, you're very likely
to be successful in Network Marketing.
The next thing you have to do to be successful is commit to daily self-development
time. Usually the early morning or last thing at night is the best time
to do this. The kids are asleep, there are fewer distractions, and you
can concentrate on you.
It's important that you set aside this time each day for quiet reflection
and self-development. You need a learning library of books, videos, and
CDs to stay motivated against negative programming, learn new techniques,
and keep your focus.
Initially, I thought that success would come from changing others. I soon
learned that real success comes from changing yourself. The actions you
take and the examples you set, create a ripple effect that impacts everything
around you in a positive way. I believe that your network grows only as
fast as you do. When you are growing each day, so is your business.
So you can see, the business of Network Marketing is quite different from
the corporate world. It takes a certain entrepreneurial zeal, and a self-motivated
mindset.
You must have strong self-esteem and conduct your business with absolute
integrity. And finally, you should be willing to submerge your ego where
necessary and utilize the systems that have been developed by the sponsorship
line above you.
If the previous paragraph describes you...or how you'd like to be...then
you are a great candidate for the business. You have what it takes to
be successful in the business.
## Visit www.NetworkMarketingTimes.com
for training resources by Randy Gage.
For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting
beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy's
How to Earn at Least $100,000 a Year in Network Marketing series is the
#1 selling album in direct selling history. And his "Escape the Rat
Race" audiotape has introduced the industry to millions of prospects
all over the world.
For more resources and to subscribe to Randy's free ezine newsletter,
"MLM Leadership Report" visit www.NetworkMarketingTimes.com
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