Many people are scared away from network marketing, also known as multi-level marketing (MLM), because of all the myths and misunderstanding about this type of business. Part of negativity comes from reported low MLM success rates. However, a multi-level marketing business isn’t destined to fail any more than any other business. Regardless of the home business you start, success comes from doing the work to build it.
When I started network marketing, the one problem that I had was getting clients for my business and recruiting team members.
For some reason, many people don’t view their MLM business as a business, like they would if they opened a franchise or started a business from scratch. One of the most important things you can do to insure your success is to treat your MLM venture as the business it is.
Here are a few other tips to help you improve your multi-level marketing (MLM) and recruiting efforts within the world of direct selling:
#1 Have The Right Business Mindset
Starting a network marketing business is not a hobby. You are starting a business.
The problem with most people who join network marketing is that they are attracted by the claim that you can make a “full time income with part time effort” but what they do not realize is that in order to reach that level, it takes hard work.
I sacrificed a lot of things to get here.
There were times that I did not want to do the work but had it not been for my hard work, I would not be where I am now.
You probably have heard this before but as cliched as it is, you must treat your business as a business; not a hobby.
Also self investment is crucially important. There are people who have a fear of investing money into their businesses because they see it as either spending money or wasting money.
But the most successful network marketers are those who invested in coaching, courses, mentoring, tools and resources to run their business.
No one says you have to invest huge chunks of money at one time but it is always best, if you want to see the growth that other successful network marketers are having.
#2 Don’t Fake It
True story! I had a long time friend who I had not seen in years. We spoke now and again but I would say we lost touch of each other.
When I joined my network marketing business, you know how they say to contact everyone on your phone contact list, regardless of who it is??
You do not want to do that! Do not be the fake and phony friend.
If you want to be successful in your business, be genuine. If you think that contacting a long time friend just to try to sell them a product is uncomfortable, then DO NOT do it.
There are many more ways you can actually get a sale without bugging those “friends” who really are not your friends.
#3 Leverage Social Media
If you do not know by now, social media is huge for building your business.
Everyday I connect with so many people who are successful and also not so successful.
But I know that I have one thing that I can offer to them and that is value. This is how I was able to recruit five people in a day from Facebook and Twitter.
My biggest tip for growing your business with social media, is find one or two platforms and master them.
“Jack of all trades master of none” can actually hurt your business when you are spreading yourself thin and trying to do everything at once.
I agree that any social media platform is great for networking and prospecting but you will never be an expert if you are trying to grow an audience over all platforms.
Some of the best platforms you can try are:
Invest in Facebook ads to connect with people who may be interested in what you have to offer.
Facebook ads is a very powerful platform that allows marketers to put their offer in front of the right people which can help generate consistent sales of your product.
When I first started network marketing, I was told by my upline to join Facebook groups where people promote business opportunities or sell products.
Your first thoughts may be that it’s free so why not try it, but I do not think this is the best source of traffic for your business as you may see little to no results from this.
If you are serious about growing your business and making money from it, then I’d recommend investing in paid advertising to show your product to people who are more likely to take action.
Not only will you save time, but you can see a huge return on your investment when you run your ad campaigns properly. Just like I did when I made near to 3x return on my investment promoting a credit repair product using Facebook ads.
Before investing in Facebook ads I do recommend that you learn how to use the platform. This will help take away all the frustration that you are likely to encounter, when you do not get the results that you want.
In the end it all paid off.
YouTube
Create videos that provide valuable content. You can easily make a search in YouTube for some of the keywords that people are using in respect of network marketing.
Once you have a handful of keywords, create a video around those keywords.
The most successful videos are How To videos.
Do not worry if you do not know what to talk about.
Take a look at other people who have created the same content and put that content in your own words. Be confident when you speak about it.
Once you have created your content include your referral link in the description box of YouTube so you will get credit for any product you recommend that is purchased.
Instagram is a picture platform that allows you to create lifestyle posts, motivational and inspirational posts as well as product posts.
When used right, this can help grow your business by showing other people what your network marketing business is doing for you and how your products have helped you and other people.
As usual you want to create value posts. Posts that speak about how your business has changed your life or you can even share other people’s success stories.
#4 Your Business Is Never About You
It took me a while to understand this next point but when I got it, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
When you start a business, you must start your business with the prospect in mind. At the end of the day, your business is there to serve other people.
It is never there to serve you!
As a network marketer, if you want people to consider doing business with you, learn how to provide helpful content that will genuinely help your audience solve a problem.
Here are some ideas:
- Share different ways of how the product has helped you.
- Share tips of how your product can help other people.
- Share how the product made other people feel. For example, do you have testimonials to prove that other people are using the product and like it? Then share that.
When you work on serving more people, they will come to you instead of you chasing them.
#5 Leverage The Internet
A lot of people come to me and ask me how did I grow so fast?
My response: the internet.
A few years ago, belly-to-belly network marketing was a good way to market your business. If you were comfortable prospecting on the streets, at the malls or beauty fairs then you may have gotten a few good sales or leads into your business.
But for someone who was an introvert and having anxiety when it came to approaching a prospect, doing it this way was never ideal.
Instead after a couple years of trying and seeing no major shift in my business, I turned to the internet on the advice of my mentor and boy was I glad I did.
It was the best thing that I could do for my business because it allowed me to reach far more people than I could speak to in a day offline.
Using the internet and other advertising strategies helped me to make hundreds of product sales and build a team of over 110 personally sponsored people in under two months. This was by far the most important change and achievement in my business.
I know that there are still a lot of network marketers who do not want to invest in advertising strategies but there was a reason why the number one tip was to have a business mindset.
There are many platforms that you can use to advertise your business. Simply choose one and master it.
And if you are worried about the huge influx of prospects that will more than likely come into your business, then the next tip goes hand in hand.
#6 Leverage Marketing Systems
I do not know why most network marketers are against this idea but for me it is a no-brainer!
If you want to grow your business fast and successfully, you need to know how to use marketing systems to automate your business.
You can take all the hard work out of what you would normally do and give it to a “robot” to do on your behalf.
This is how I was able to “speak” to over one thousand people in a day about my business and ended up closing thirty sales.
You see, marketing systems allow you to show your prospect your product or opportunity, without you speaking to them. You simply set up a website or lead capture page and an email auto-responder communicates with them.
Imagine not speaking to a single soul in your business because it runs on autopilot.
Technology has literally changed how fast I grew my business and has helped me fulfill my dreams of traveling as often as I can.
#7 Teach Your Team Duplication
When I learnt how to use marketing systems to grow my business, I taught my team the same thing.
This is how you can grow your team to over thousands of members in a short space of time.
Something that works for you and is so easy to replicate can help other struggling team members.
When you introduce these systems into your team it is a win-win.
It helps the team member build their team quicker, make more product sales and puts money in everyone’s pocket.
I still use this strategy every day and encourage anyone looking to build a solid foundation, to find a strategy that works for you and then share it with your teams. They will then share it in their own teams and so on and so on.
#8 Get A Mentor
So I have mentioned a few times in this blog post about the recommendations made to me by my mentor.
Having a mentor was the first step I took to transforming my business.
Granted I paid him for his services but in return I was given valuable information that helped me and my business catapult into success.
When looking for a mentor, find ideally two people. One within your business, who is where you want to be and another outside of your business who can teach you a skill-set that is important to be successful in your business.
Subscribe to their courses or coaching programs and listen to and DO EVERYTHING that they say.
The doing part is what is important.
You want to take massive action on the ideas that they have given to you. At the end of the day, they got to where they are because of the tips they shared.
Don’t you want to be there too?
The one advice I can give to you, do not be afraid to invest in the services of your mentors. I have spent thousands on courses and programs that has helped to improve my skills tremendously.
I am now using those same skills to build my business and provide value to the marketplace.
#9 Believe In Yourself
Not only having a business mindset but also a positive mindset is key to helping you achieve your goals.
When you have a positive mindset you attract positive things into your life. You must also have a strong belief that you can achieve your goals.
When you doubt yourself you are more than likely to avoid taking action which only leads to procrastination.
People who are unsuccessful have those major stumbling blocks.
Until they get out of that funk they will never have the life that they truly deserve.
#10 Never Quit And Be Consistent
Consistency is key and the ones who never give up, come out successful.
Network marketing is not a get rich quick gig. But if you give it time, nurture it, be disciplined, take action and be consistent you can accomplish that goal of being a top income earner or achieve the success that you want, however you define that success.
I will not lie, there will be challenges. There will be times that you will want to quit but embrace your journey with gratitude and keep moving.
There are so many things that I have learnt on my own journey that I can now give back in this blog. This is why I want to help many people become true online entrepreneurs and build their brand successfully because I have learnt so much.
And one day you will too. You will be able to use the highs and lows in a positive way to keep building you.
