What it Takes to Be Successful in MLM/Network Marketing

[Harold McCorkle]

Network Marketing is perfect for everyone. However, everyone is
not 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?

Because it takes a certain personality type to be successful.
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.

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 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

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