In today’s post, I’d like to discuss MLM Burnout.
Are you burnt out on MLM? Have you worked day in and day out in your network marketing business, but not gotten the results you want and deserve? Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like regardless of what you try, nothing works?
Trust me, I can relate. Been there, done that. It’s not fun either. During my past 20+ years in this industry, I’ve experienced burn out several times.
More importantly, I’ve found that most leaders and doers get burnt out on their business, regardless of their industry. It’s quite normal. You do the same thing over and over, week in and week out, month in and month out, sometimes for YEARS. Life becomes Ground Hog Day!
In fact, I’ve experienced burn out in ALL my businesses at one point in time or another. This includes my eBay business, my blog, my consulting business, and even my network marketing business.
Let’s be honest for a moment. Building a successful business of ANY kind requires tons of time, money and hard work.
It takes a special person to get started in a business and stay on the course! Life gets in the way and most entrepreneurs either give up, burn out, or stay miserable.
This is one of the most common reasons so many businesses fail. Owners become bored and exhausted.
Experiencing MLM Burnout
What are the major causes of burn out in network marketing? Here is a list of eight common trends I’ve noticed.
- Trying to balance your MLM Business with your job, family time, and other commitments.
- No duplication in your business.
- Working long hours but not getting the financial results you desire.
- No systems in place to leverage your time.
- Doing more for your team members than they do for themselves.
- Focusing on the wrong activities.
- Difficulty finding quality people to work with.
- Attrition – Having a revolving door in your business.
These are just a few things that come to mind. Have you ever experienced any of these things? If you haven’t yet, get ready for it. You eventually will.
Fortunately for you, it doesn’t have to be this way.
What I want to do in the rest of this article is share some helpful ideas to keep you from experiencing MLM Burnout. These are some practical things you can do to work smart in your business.
How to Avoid Being Burnt Out in MLM
First, you must realize that this business is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, there will be times when you must sprint, to build up momentum and get your business off the ground.
However, it takes most people several years of part-time, consistent effort to grow a large network marketing business and replace their job income. It’s closer to FIVE YEARS. That seems like forever, but considering you are doing the business part-time, it’s a great deal. One of the best things you can do is set a pace that you can maintain that won’t lead to burn out.
Have a Game-Plan
The second thing you must do is have a game-plan. You must manage your time wisely and focus on the money producing activities. Don’t be busy just to be busy. Work hard, but also work smart. Use a day planner and schedule your tasks each week. Plan your work and work your plan.
Make sure you spend most of your time on the most important activities in your business, which are generating leads, giving presentations, following up, getting customers, launching new distributors, and training your team. When possible, do your activities in batches.
Use Systems
Next, you must develop SYSTEMS in your business that will help free up your time. You need a simple system to generate leads, to follow up with prospects, and to train your team, and stay connected with people.
Leverage technology such as auto-responders to help you do this. Systems are the key to success in business. Systems save you time, energy, money, and frustration.
Work with the Willing
Furthermore, make sure you work with the RIGHT people. Don’t spend much time with people who aren’t producing. Don’t do things for people that they should be doing for themselves. Work with the people that are actually doing the work and helping your organization grow.
Outsource
Another simple tip is to outsource. It took me a long time to figure this out. Have someone else help you or do the tasks that you don’t enjoy doing yourself. For example, I have someone help write for me, edit my posts, and keep my website updated.
Work in a Group Setting
Another tip is to do MOST of your training in a group setting. If you have a large team and work with everyone one-on-one you won’t have much of a life. Leverage webinars, group meetings and conference calls to do most of your training. This will free up a lot of your time. Only give individual attention to people who deserve it (by their actions).
Schedule Breaks
And finally, schedule rests and vacation breaks. Life is meant to be enjoyed. You shouldn’t work your business 24/7. Keep things in perspective and make time each day for yourself and for your family. Don’t be so consumed by your business that you put your health, happiness, and family in jeopardy. Balance is everything!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, MLM Burnout is quite common, especially for people who are serious about building their business and putting in long hours.
Burnout is normal in all businesses. You might not be able to avoid it 100%, but you can minimize it by following the tips outlined in this article.
What are your thoughts? How do you avoid burnout in MLM? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Other Posts You Might Enjoy:
- Dealing with Attrition
- How to Work Smart in Your Business
- Dealing with Loneliness in Your Home Business
- 34 Ways to Get Leads
- How to Build Your MLM Business Online
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
The first thing I will always say to this predicament is: take a break…take a vacation…go have some fun.
The business will still be there when you get back, and it won’t miss you for a week or so. Just contact your upline and downline and explain. Everyone should understand.
Sometimes when we step away from it all for a bit, we can see the bigger picture and get ourselves straightened out.
Make a plan of action and write it down. You can climb out of burn out by just backing away for a moment.
There’s nothing wrong with taking a little time off to decompress.
Everyone in MLM should read this! MLM is about setting goals and working in a smart way to reach them. Being proactive and creating systems to simplify your life is great advice. I also agree with cutting out dead weight – you can’t carry the burden of others who aren’t as determined and goal-oriented.
Creating systems is a big part of your success.
I agree with the term MOST when it comes to training. It can save a lot of time and energy. However, there are still instances when one-on-one training is beneficial and necessary to help your team members achieve at higher levels. But when it comes to basic level training it is valuable to work smarter by sharing the information with everyone at the same time.
I agree there has to be a balance between group and individual teaching. I have always used the approach that starts with broad based group instruction, then if there are individuals who need some extra help or guidance then I work with them on an individual level.
Do 90% of your training in a group setting and 10% one on one and you can’t go wrong.
Thanks for sharing this! It is so easy to get burned out in any business or industry and it can be so devastating when it does happen. You offer some great pointers here on things to look out for and what can be done to avoid burn out and head it off when it start to strike.
You definitely want to set a pace that you can maintain so you don’t get burnt out.
This is good advice for almost anyone. If you do view your goals as long-term rather than sprints, then you will be less likely to suffer from burnout. No matter what your business, take breaks or time away from your work. Recruiting people that you can produce and whom you can trust will also help you avoid burnout. If you feel that you cannot rest of take a break, consider this: is it better to take some time off, or later quit and waste all of the time that you have put into your business.
Burn out happens for a lot of entrepreneurs. Taking breaks is good. Setting a pace you can maintain is good. Thinking long-term is good. Keeping things part-time and keeping a day job are good until your MLM Income is at least twice your job income. Food for thought.
This article shared on your network marketing blog gives really useful tips for all the businessmen out there. It is surely not needed to work harder when with right apps, right tactics and right people you can work smarter. Working smart would lead you to successful entrepreneurship. Not only you should work smarter but must also encourage people who strongly advocate smart work within your organization.