Today, I want to educate you about building your MLM Business the smart way. Let me begin by telling you I struggled for many, many years in this industry. The first 12 to 13-years in this industry was like a junior high science experiment gone bad for me.
Although I’ve done everything wrong in our industry, I never quit. Eventually, I humbled myself enough to listen to good mentors, figure out what I’m naturally good at, and develop a strategy that worked for me.
One of the biggest issues I see in our industry is expecting everyone to build their business the exact same way. That never works. Why? Because we are all different! You’ll never fit a square peg in a round hole.
For example, if you tell an extrovert they have to sit behind a computer and build their business on Facebook, they won’t make it. Furthermore, if you tell an introvert, they have to practice the three-foot rule, or cold call prospects, they won’t make it.
If you tell someone they HAVE to work their warm market, but they don’t want to, or won’t do it, they won’t make it in the business. If you tell someone they must have home parties, but they don’t feel comfortable doing that, they won’t make it.
Our real job as a sponsor is to help each person we bring into the business figure out a way to build their business in a way that works for them.
If you get nothing else out of this article, please remember that.
Building Your MLM Business the Smart Way
To give this article a little bit of perspective, I want to share with you what I am good at and what I’m not good at, and then show you how I used my strengths and skills to become successful in the industry.
What I’m Not Good At
- Prospecting – I hate the thought of calling people I know or having to prospect people I meet in everyday life.
- Retailing – While I’m good at recruiting, I suck at retailing.
- Being Empathetic – I’m an old Army Officer. No B.S. Straight to the point. I’m not very empathetic with non-producers, slackers and people who make excuses.
- Hand Holding, Nurturing and Coddling – This is one of my biggest weaknesses, especially the nurturing part. I’m good at telling and showing people what to do, but if they don’t do it, they’ve lost my respect and trust.
Seeing this short list of my weaknesses would make you think I could never succeed at network marketing. Thank goodness, I also have a few strengths that help me.
What I’m Good At
- Leadership – I learned leadership in the Army. It is easily my best skill.
- Internet Marketing – I love internet marketing and I am very good at SEO, blogging and paid advertising.
- Developing Systems – I enjoy creating business systems. I learned how to do this in the Army.
- Recognition – I am a big believer in recognition. Babies cry for it and adults die for it. People want to be appreciated. I’m good at creating awards, praising people in public and making people feel good to be part of my team.
- Strategy & Big Picture Thinking – I am a big picture guy. I think like a CEO. I’m always focused on my vision, strategy, goals and my future. I also learned this skill in the Army.
Obviously, some of my skills help me immensely in network marketing.
What I Did to Succeed
About five years ago, I asked myself “how can I use my own skills and strengths” in building my MLM business the smart way.
I quickly discovered that building online would be the best option for me. I knew that if I could recruit online and start building a team, I could use my leadership skills to create systems and use recognition to help me grow a big team. That is exactly what I do now. And, it works well for me.
Assessing Yourself
If you’re thinking about building your MLM Business the smart way, the best thing you can do is write down your strengths and skills. What are you naturally good at? What are your natural talents and skills? Take out a piece of paper and write them down.
If you’re struggling to come up with things, ask those people closest to you what they think you are best at. Once you finalize your list, try to whittle it down to your top 5 skills.
For each skill, brainstorm several things you could do to grow your network marketing business. Ideally, you want to have 2-3 things you could do for EACH of your top five skills.
Share with your mentor what you come up with. See what they have to say. Once you’ve done that, get into action mode. All out massive action is key.
Play your strengths. You will never improve your weaknesses to the point where they will be better than your strengths. So, focus on what you are good at.
Examples
Here are just a few examples of working smart and using your God given gifts to build a business.
If you like to write, you could:
- Start your own blog
- Post articles on other people’s blog
- Post articles in article directories
- Write for magazines or newsletters
If you are a people person, you could:
- Three foot rule
- Set up at live events
- Attend networking events
- Publish YouTube videos
- Have home parties
If you are shy or introverted, you could:
- Mail postcards
- Place classified ads
- Learn SEO or paid advertising
- Send text messages
These are just the first few things that came to my mind. The sky is in the limit.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to building your MLM Business the smart way, this is the best advice I can share with you. You can be successful, if you develop a strategy that works for you, and use your natural talents and skills. If what you’re doing right now isn’t working, do this exercise and try building the business a different way (rather than quit).
You do NOT have to build your business EXACTLY like your upline does. All successful people in our industry do things differently anyway. And, your team members don’t have to build their business like you do either. Ultimately, each person needs to come up with a strategy that works for them.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think about building your MLM Business the smart way. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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