Today, I’d like to share some practical tips about how to work smart in your MLM Business.
Time is our most precious asset. It’s the one thing we can’t get more of.
Most people in our industry are part-timers. They don’t have tons of time to commit to their business, so they must learn how to work smart.
I had a mentor once tell me this:
If you can’t build the business part-time, you’ll never make it to full-time.
Learning how to manage the time YOU DO HAVE is critical if you want to build a successful network marketing business. You can build a big business working part-time, but you can’t do it by working some of the time. Make sense?
How to Work Smart in Your MLM Business
What you will see below are some simple tips on how to work smart in your MLM Business.
Your Big 3
Each day, you should have a simple checklist with the three most important tasks you need to complete that day. Before I go to bed at night, I write down everything I need to do the following day. Once my list is complete, I prioritize that list and identify the top 3 tasks.
When I get to work the following day, I do the three most important things first, before I do anything else. This simple strategy has helped me be very productive in my business.
Income Producing Activities
When you are working, make sure you spend at least 90 percent of that time on income producing activities. Do not confuse busy work with being productive. Income producing activities are retailing and recruiting personally or helping one of your team members do those two things.
Organizing your office, color coding your office files, surfing Facebook, and getting ready to get ready do not count. Those are time wasters that do nothing to move your business forward.
Plan Out Your Week
It’s vital that you plan out your week each week. Each Sunday night sit down somewhere quite for 20 or 30-minutes and schedule your week. Start out by blocking out time for your job and family time. Make sure you schedule a date night and time with your children, if applicable. After you do that, look at the time spots you have left and schedule time for your business.
We all have time, but if we leave things to chance, life will get in the way and we won’t be productive. You can fit your business into the nooks and crannies, but you must do it deliberately. If you leave it to chance, something will come up, life will get in the way, and your business will be put on the back burner.
The 90-10 Rule
In my own words, the 90-10 Rule means that you spend 90 percent or more of your time with the ten percent of the people that are responsible for producing 90% of the results. Most people do the exact opposite. They spend most of their time trying to motivate the unmotivated. That is a recipe for burnout, frustration, and failure.
Spend your time where it is deserved. Identify your “key people” and find ways to help them. That is the best use of your time.
I’d rather run with ONE than push 20.
Work in Depth
Quite perhaps the best way to work smart in your MLM Business is to work in depth. Always work with the newest, most excited distributor at the deepest level of your organization. By doing this, you automatically help everyone above them. You also solidify that leg and anchor people in the business. There is nothing you can do to help your team members more than building depth underneath them.
Spend more time working with people you did not personally sponsor than you do with people you did personally sponsor. Work in depth.
Establish Set Business Hours
Another thing you can do to work smart in your MLM Business is set business hours.
Let me put things in perspective. If you owned a restaurant or dry cleaners’ business and you were only open for business one hour per week, how much money would you make? Not much. In fact, you would lose money and be out of business in no time.
The same holds true in network marketing. Even though you are doing the business part-time, you still need set business hours. Without doing that, you will be a statistic and fail/quit.
What you want to do is pick a number. Let’s suppose that you decide your number is TWO. That means you will work your business TWO hours per day, six days per week. Once you know that number, it’s your job to schedule in those two hours per day, even if it’s in 10 or 20-minute increments throughout the day.
Manage Your Hour Minute-by-Minute
Another thing you can do to work smart in your MLM Business is to manage each hour minute-by-minute. One MLM Millionaire I listened to taught me a valuable lesson. He always asked himself this question:
Is what I am doing right now the single best use of my time?
If the answer were YES, he would proceed. If no, he would adjust what he was doing, so he could work smart.
When you plan out your time, plan it out in five to ten-minute blocks of time. Use a kitchen timer if necessary, for each task. This might sound dumb, but it works. You would be amazed at how much time we waste each day doing unimportant things.
Batch Tasks
Another thing you can do to work smart in your MLM Business is to batch activities. For example, maybe you set your appointments on Monday, do your presentations on Tuesday and follow-up every Wednesday.
When you do a task, do one thing at a time and focus. Do not try to multi-task.
Another thing you can do is establish set times to check your email and visit social media sites. Rather than doing those two things constantly throughout the day, have a set time in the morning and a set time in the evening to do it.
Find a Running Partner
Find a running partner. Team up with someone at least as committed as you are and work with them daily. This might be your coach, your best downline member, a crossline friend, or even someone in another company.
The purpose of doing this is you can “feed off” each other’s energy. You can motivate and support each other while you are each building your own business.
Doing this has helped me immensely. I have about 5 serious team members I talk with daily. We all keep each other motivated and inspired.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are some of my best tips on how to work smart in your MLM Business. These things are easy to do and easy not to do. Ultimately, you are responsible for managing your time properly and working smart. If you follow the advice mentioned in this article, you will be well on your way.
What are your thoughts? What do you do to work smart in your MLM Business? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you. Learn more about my opportunity.
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.
People tend to underestimate the value planning has in productivity. I feel completely lost if I don’t have a plan that details what I need to be doing that particular day and how I am going to go about it. Plus, it is an extra boost of joy when I complete a task that I planned to do. Without a plan I’m just kind of wandering, doing a little bit of everything but not really completely accomplishing anything.
I’m like you. I need to have a game plan and daily to do list every day.
I am also like Diamond. If I don’t have a set plan of action, I am like a person in the deep jungle wandering without a compass. It is easy to start going in circles thinking you are accomplishing something, but you then find yourself right back where you started.
Every morning I first complete a daily plan. I prioritize by putting the most important tasks at the top. In some cases, I will move tasks around as the day goes. I do find it helps to complete a difficult task…take a small break and then do a simple task. I keep using this system and at the end of the day, I normally feel as if I accomplished a lot.
It doesn’t always work that way, but I do find by planning, I have made a lot better strides toward success.
Great post Chuck!
Dear Chuck,
I just ready though your 5-points of getting a successful start in the MLM business and found it so very motivating. I have been in sales and marketing for more than twenty-five years, but reviewing these critical steps can be crucial in avoiding lazy habits. For those that are reading this blog, I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce your advice and briefly touch on each of your five points and how they have assisted me.
#1 ~ “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail” is an old adage, but one of the most important ones to take action on. I like to plan my day the night before, otherwise I don’t sleep well thinking I am going to forget all that I need to write down. I use the Notepad on my iPhone, but also find it helpful to use the “traditional” paper and pen appointment book that shows an entire week at-a-glance.
#2 ~ Setting Business Hours helps me from falling into procrastination. Because I do have the flexibility in my day and don’t have to fight rush hour traffic, I like to schedule a meeting with my first prospect or group presentation at 10:00am. I’m professionally dressed, out the door, ready to tackle the day and then have the afternoon and most evenings for my family.
#3 ~ A Daily MO shows your clients and prospects that you value your time and your consistency tells them when you are most available. I also have great respect for my client’s time and make it a point to start and end the meeting in the time agreed when making the appointment.
#4 ~ Exposures to at least two people each day will leave you feeling accomplished which is motivating in itself. It has been said that we all know at least 300 people. I’ve made a list! I choose those I feel will be most approachable first.
#5 ~ Time Wasters!!!! Chuck, I so second that point!!! I am glad you made this one of your points. I missed this important advice for a long time. Getting out of our comfort zone can be really scary often leaving us working on time wasting tasks. Yes, being organized is important, but once you are making money, you can hire someone to keep you organized if that is an area you struggle with. Having money in your pocket boosts confidence. I want to work toward that! Thank you for the reminder!
Chuck, thank you again for listing your motivating points in such a short, concise manner. They have given me a huge boost in motivation today. I just downloaded your free book, “The Secret MLM Website Strategy” and look forward to reading it. I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks for the wonderful comment. Yes, you really have to manage your time wisely if you want to work smart and be productive. The biggest thing is staying on task and focusing on the most important activities.