In working with a new business associate today we went through many of the questions that I always seemed to get when trying to help someone new to network marketing get off to a great start. For any of you that have been in network marketing for any amount of time you know exactly what I am talking about. You have someone new to your business that you want to get started on the right foot, they are excited about the possibilities that their future holds and they know next to nothing about their new business.
To complicate matters, many of these newbie’s have been on the internet researching business opportunities and as a direct result they come across countless programs promising to reveal the secrets to success.
With the countless scams available on the internet promising the secrets to enable you to explode your business tomorrow, next week or next month, surely one of them will produce the desired results. So, the real question is which one of them should I invest in to ensure my success?
Many times the discussion starts out with one of the following questions:
- I found this site that offers MLM leads that are guaranteed. What do you think?
- This website promises that I will be able to sponsor 20 people a week into my business. What do….
- I found this site that promises to get me to the number one spot on Google and keep me there
- This site promises that I can make $5K my first month in your MLM business.
- You fill in your favorite here…….
If you never get anything else that I ever recommend please get this one. There is NOT a shortcut to success!
Yes, we have all heard of those people that rocket to the top ranks of their primary business, but those people really fall into the group of people that win lottery tickets. From time to time there will be a newbie that starts a new business opportunity and a few months later they are living the good life. Those individuals are one in a million.
At other times you will see people that join a business opportunity only to rocket to the top. What is often overlooked is that these individuals have years of successful network marketing behind them. As such these individuals have built large networks of people that they are able to contact regarding their new business. Their status as leaders in their past business opportunities enable them effectively make use of attraction marketing.
The real story is that these people paid their dues long before joining this current business opportunity. Shortcuts to success do not exist and the perceived shortcuts typically have a long history of hard work prior to that so called short term success.
Don’t checkout on me now.
When you begin looking for where to invest your time and more importantly your money, take time to look in the mirror. Yes, look in the mirror and you will see exactly where you should be investing your time and money.
Personal development in the areas of: Sales, Marketing, Leadership, Promoting, and Prospecting to mention a few. I will be bold enough to say that regardless of your past success there are probably some areas of personal development where you can improve. If you are new to network marketing I can tell you that you have a LOT to learn. Personally, for me learning and personal development will be a lifelong process that never ends.
The good news is that with technology learning process continually improves. Regardless of your background, your schedule or where you live, technology has made information and therefore learning more cost effective and accessible from practically anywhere. If you have the drive and determination to succeed there is no excuse!
All the marketing tools and materials in the world will not help you if you do not have the skills to qualify and eventually close your prospects. Sponsoring all the business associates in the world will do no good if you do not have the leadership skills to establish yourself as the leader of your organization. While they may join you with expectations of financial independence and fulfillment of their dreams, without leadership they will not stay for long.
From prospecting, to sales, to closing and finally to the point of effective leadership, you will need all of these skills. All of these skills are available to you provided you are willing to invest in yourself and grow beyond who you are today. Be smart about where you spend your money and time when first starting out. Start where you will get the most benefit in the least amount of time. If your sales, marketing and prospecting skills are weak, brush up on them and then get in the game.
In the process you are going to take some bumps and bruises, but ultimately that is the only way you will learn to effectively use your skills. Get an effective system for prospecting online so that you can keep your prospects in a sales/follow up system and take advantage every networking opportunity that you can attend. While the internet is a great channel for generating new prospects, ultimately there is nothing like the face to face interaction you can get through network events.
The ultimate investment that you can make is in YOU! Make personal development a lifelong quest and know that success is within your grasp. To Your Success!
Chase Your Passion: Personally, I enjoy working w/ Small Biz Owners & Independent Business Professionals to attract new clients. 
