Are you one of the millions of people who are getting ready to get ready in network marketing? Are you someone who likes stats, figures, and numbers and wants to know every single little detail about the company, products and compensation plan before you get started?
Are you keeping yourself busy doing non-productive things like organizing your office, sorting files and reading company literature so you don’t have to pick up the telephone and call your prospects? If you answered YES to any of these questions, I hope to help you!
First off, I understand we are all wired differently. We have different personalities and talents. I get that. Some people love the details, while other people hate the details. Some people have confidence and enjoy talking to people. Others fear it more than anything else. Some people are leaders. Some are followers. Some people are doers. Some are procrastinators.
I hope you get my point. The bottom line is that we are all different.
Regardless of your personality, there are certain things you have to do if you want to be successful in our industry. Those basic things include:
- Prospecting
- Talking to people
- Inviting people to a presentation
- Doing presentations
- Following up
- Getting customers
- Training your team
- Helping new people get started
These activities are known as the money producing activities. Everything else you do is a non-money producing activity.
Keep in mind that all of these skills are LEARNED skills. Very few people come into our industry already having these skills. For most folks, you’re going to have to DEVELOP these skills by taking action and learning from your mistakes.
What I don’t want you to do is “fool yourself” about what it takes to be successful in our industry. I don’t want you to think you can build a big business if you spend all of your time on YouTube, or sorting files, or cleaning your office, or reading your company’s catalog.
I don’t want you to fool yourself into thinking that you can avoid these money producing activities and think your network marketing business is still going to grow on its own . The truth is if you don’t do these things, and do them consistently every day, you will be out of business in no time!
I’ve also found that most of the things we fear are never going to come true. Most of our fears a figment of our imagination. What’s the worst thing that can happen? The worst thing that can happen is someone will tell you NO or ridicule you. That’s about it.
No matter what you want to accomplish in life, you will have to do things you initially aren’t comfortable doing. You went through the same process when you learned how to ride a bike, drive a car, ask a person on a date, interview for a job, etc.
No matter what you do in life you will have your critics. People will tell you no and question what you are doing.
You have to realize that action cures fear. As you start to do the things you fear, your fears will go away. It sounds crazy, but trust me, it’s true.
Analysis by paralysis or getting ready to get ready is one of the major causes of failure in our industry. If you talk to most network marketers and ask them to show you their calendar, it will be empty. Most people have not even shared their products or business opportunity with even one person during the month! And they wonder why their business won’t grow.
If you suffer from the analysis by paralysis or the getting ready to get ready syndrome, there are a few things that you can do.
First off, you can leave the industry for good. I know that sounds harsh, but being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. Being a network marketer is not for everyone. I’m not telling you to quit, but I am telling you that it is an option if you aren’t willing to do the work.
Why stick with something if you’re never even going to give it your best shot? As I see it, that would be a complete waste of time. Just revert to being a customer and move on to something else.
Your next option is to take baby steps. Starting today, do one thing that you know you should be doing. Make one phone call today. Make one more call tomorrow and do that everyday for the rest of the week. The following week, make two calls per day. As you do this, your confidence will grow. Before you know it you will be making 10-20 calls per day with ease.
Next, realize that action cures fear. The only way to get rid of the things that you fear is to deal with them head on. The sooner you can do that the better. As time goes on, you will laugh at the things you used to fear because you realize that they weren’t that big of a deal to begin with.
Another thing you can do is try to figure out what is holding you back. Maybe it’s a previous failure. Maybe it’s an un-supportive spouse. Maybe it’s your lack of belief in the industry, your company or even yourself. Whatever the issue may be, deal with it and work through it.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that you need to take action and deal with your fears head on. You can’t sit around getting ready to get ready and expect much positive to happen in your network marketing business. Don’t fool yourself into believing you will be successful, even if you don’t do the work.
Be a person of action. Conquer your fears by doing what you know you should be doing. Do that consistently for a few years and you will have a successful business. Don’t do it and you will be one of the people left behind.
What are your thoughts about this subject? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
I love how you put this post together Chuck. Yes, it may seem harsh in some areas, but all respect is due for telling it like it is. I know that sometimes it is easy to get so caught up in studying stats and numbers that we neglect “doing the work.” I see this not only in network marketing, but in almost all businesses. I have even caught myself getting to statistically minded. Usually when this happens, I get a wake up call kind of like this post.
We can keep track of stats until the cows come home, but if we do not do the work, success will fly away. Thanks for the reminder.
This is one thing that so many people struggle with: not taking action.
Addressing fear, a common obstacle holding many people back, is a good idea. Most of our fears are irrational and very unlikely to occur. So if you think about it in those terms you start to realize that not acting based on something irrational and unlikely is just plain silly. More people regret not doing something because of fear than they regret doing something and it not working out the way they intended. Things very well could go wrong, but they could also go very right.
Fear is one of the number one reasons for failure in our industry.
hello chuck, buddy hawkins from south carolina. i sure have enjoyed your comments over the years and appreciate your efforts that help other folkes. i do have one question. somewhere i read that you do not entertain new ideas or compaines. i don’t understand your reasoning. please let me hear from you.
thanks
buddy hawkins
olebup@aol.com
864 963 9793
No, I do not entertain new companies. I get pitched 5-10 times daily. If I even looked at any of these companies I would never get anything done in my business. I am committed and focused. That’s all. Thanks for the comment.
Chuck