Today, I want to share with you why you must be a student of the MLM Profession if you want long-term success in our industry.
I should start out by telling you that I have been involved with the MLM Profession for 12 years now (at the time of this writing). However, I’ve really been a STUDENT of the profession for the past four years.
It’s during the past four years that I really became serious about studying and learning everything I could about the network marketing industry.
What does that really mean?
It means that I’ve read every book I could find about MLM, I listen to conference calls every week, I attend training sessions and meetings on a regular basis, I have a mentor to coach me and teach me, and I am PROACTIVELY learning everything I can about the network marketing industry.
Why am I a student of this industry?
Because I want to be a person of value. I want to have the knowledge and expertise to educate and help people (in my team) and on this website. I know that the more I learn, the more I can grow and the more success I can attain. I know that the more I know the more I have to offer others and the more QUALITY people I can ATTRACT into my business.
Does that makes sense?
You won’t do very well in ANY industry or profession if you don’t constantly educate yourself and stay on the cutting edge. Every professional I personally know, in every industry, does what they can do to learn everything they can about their vocation and gain a cutting edge over their competition.
People are funny.
Most people never question college or going to school. They will spend at least $20 to $30k to go to college for four years (and usually MUCH more $$$) with no promise of a job when they graduate. Society has taught them that going to college is what everyone should do.
Sadly, many of these folks will never find a good job and use their degree. Even worse, many of these folks will STOP LEARNING once college is over and as a result, they will plateau in their careers. What these folks should realize is that college graduation is not the end of your learning years, it’s the START of your learning years.
Once you are done college, the REAL learning begins.
Many folks (whether college graduates or not) will start a home based business or network marketing business at some point in their career. Sadly, they won’t take the time to educate themselves and learn the ropes of this great profession.
They won’t attend seminars. They won’t buy and read books. They won’t buy training courses. They won’t hire a business coach or business mentor.
They’ll think they can achieve success without educating themselves at all.
That’s really foolish as I see it.
Here are a few things you should know, so I can put things in perspective.
- Lawyers go to school 7 years to become a lawyer
- Most doctors go to school at least 8 years before they can start their practice
- CPAs go to school for four to five years before they can start as a CPA
What’s even more relevant about these three examples is that they all KEEP LEARNING after they graduate and start working. They all have mentors. They all subscribe to trade journals related to their industry. They all go to conferences to learn new things. They network with their peers to share ideas. They belong to associations related to their profession.
Simply put, they are a student of their business and their profession. And that’s why they become successful.
They always want to be on the cutting edge! They know the importance of a continuous education. They strive to learn something new every day and get better every day.
How does all of this apply to network marketing?
Well, if you want to succeed in an industry that you have no experience in and know nothing about, you have to educate yourself. It’s really that simple.
If you want to attract other SERIOUS and TALENTED people into your business, you have to offer something of value (no I’m not talking about your opportunity either). You have to have the wisdom, knowledge and experience to show others how to succeed.
Simply put, you have to know what you are doing! You have to be different than most people in our industry.
And even as you start to achieve some success in the industry, your learning NEVER stops. You should always be on the lookout for how you can improve and develop your leadership, sales and marketing skills.
You should always have a book you are reading. You should listen to a lot of tapes and audios about our industry. You should attend a few conferences and training sessions every year. You should participate in mastermind groups.
You must be just as committed to LEARNING as you are to building your business. You must have a game-plan for your business education.
You must invest some of your hard earned money in your business education. You must soak up the information and share it with others. Do that and you will succeed. Don’t do it and you will fail.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
Thanks for sharing, Greg. I’ve found that almost all successful business people are students of their business and profession. They spend money and take the time to learn everything they can.
Your comments about how we are taught that going to college is the best thing, but that true learning begins afterwards really resonated with me. I started college before I had any clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. I majored in a field that was almost unmarketable except in a niche that I had no wish to be in. I stumbled into a j-o-b that was completely unrelated to what I studied in college. Fortunately, the j-o-b was lucrative and I was able to live very well. I went on to get an MBA which was also a degree that I did not use for the j-o-b. However, the actual job itself taught me a lot more about people and life, and myself than formal schooling ever did. As my oldest child now approaches college age, I cringe when she discusses what she wants to do with her life. I want to tell her to wait ten or twenty years, and then see what she thinks .