A couple weeks ago, I was surfing on Amazon looking for new MLM books to buy. This is a difficult task, since I’ve read most of the books about our industry. However, I stumbled across an old, out of print book titled “MLM Magic: How an Ordinary Person Can Build an Extra-Ordinary Networking Business from Scratch” by Venus Andrecht.
It looked interesting, so I picked up a used copy for less than $4 and had it shipped it out to me. When the book arrived about a week later, I read it in just two days. I really, really enjoyed the book. My copy of the book is absolutely loaded with underlined and highlighted quotes that I found interesting. Overall, I would give it an 8.5 of 10 and think it would benefit any new or experienced distributor.
It has so many great tips and nuggets in it that I felt obligated to do a review about it. What you will see below are some of my favorite quotes from the book. Each quote is in bold and italics. After each quote I will provide my own two cents about it. The quotes are listed in no particular order. Enjoy!
# 1 Too many people see MLM as the fast road to gold. This is not a get rich quick business. It’s just like any other business. It takes time, patience and hard work to get it built. If you are in dire need of money, get a job first.
# 2 It grows very slowly in the beginning (usually the first two to three years), and that’s where the majority of people fail. The first year or two or three in MLM is to build the foundation for your team. Think about when a skyscraper is being built. It can take more than a year to build the foundation, but after that the rest of the skyscraper goes up quickly.
# 3 The most important thing that MLM has given me is freedom. If you build your business right, you will one day have time freedom and money freedom. In the beginning, you will work hard without getting paid much, but if you build your business right, you will one day get paid more than you actually work.
# 4 MLM makes it easy for you to have a business of your own, starting with little money and little risk. As I see it, MLM is the last chance for the average person to create financial freedom.
# 5 What do I want this MLM to do for me? It’s important that you take a piece of paper and write out what you’re working for. Your WHY is very important. It’s what will keep you in the game long enough to succeed.
# 6 I didn’t consider anyone a friend who would try to stop me from reaching my goals, or who wouldn’t take me seriously and support me in my efforts. A good friend will be supportive, even if they are not interested in joining the business. A good friend will at least be a customer, or offer you words of encouragement.
# 7 No matter how discouraged I get, no matter how bad it looks, I’m sticking with it and working relentlessly for one year. You have to give yourself a fair chance to succeed. You won’t know in 90 days if your business will work or not. After all, you wouldn’t start a restaurant and quit in 60 to 90 days would you?
# 8 Every time I sign up a new distributor, I advise them to stick with us and no one else, and I tell them why. Trying to build two MLM Companies at once is impossible to do. You have to focus on one thing.
# 9 There’s always bumps in the road with a new business. I had plenty of my own, and still do. Work them out. Don’t quit or look for any easier way just because you have difficulties building your business. There is no fast or easy way to success. Every venture will have challenges, disappointments and setbacks. Learn from each setback and keep moving forward anyway.
# 10 If your book is blank, then your MLM checks are probably non-existent, too. The quickest way to see if someone will be successful in their business is to look and see how many appointments they have set in their appointment book.
# 11 You’re looking to find three to five strong frontline people. Three to five good people can make you a fortune in network marketing.
# 12 Remind your upline that a distributor isn’t properly sponsored until they have at least two to three good people who are signed under them. A distributor won’t quit the business and leave if they have something to lose. This is so true. Until someone has duplicated you, they haven’t even really started. Most people who quit have no one on their team and nothing to lose. Once someone has a small team they are anchored in.
# 13 I’m interested in people. I never think about selling when I meet them. Show a genuine interest in others without trying to pitch or recruit them and you will never run out of prospects.
# 14 Find the movers and shakers in life and get to know them. You are looking for people who like to hustle and work hard.
# 15 Half or more of the retail businesses in the U.S. are struggling to survive. They pay thousands of dollars to work seven days a week and struggle. Building a traditional business is not what it seems. Basically, you’ve bought yourself a low paying job, you don’t have much leverage or time freedom and it comes with tons of headaches. Just ask any business owner!
# 16 Each person I signed knew, liked, and trusted me. I believe that is the key. People are only going to work with someone that they know, like and trust.
# 17 He says it takes at least five calls to the same person. The money is in the follow up. Very few people will join on the initial contact.
# 18 I also never say, Here’s my card. My friend, they will never call you. Do not hand out your card and go home and sit in hope. In this business you are the aggressor. Take their card and say, I’ll call you. Then, do. When you meet someone, get their name, phone number and email so you can follow up with them. If you expect them to call you back, get ready to eat a big lunch.
# 19 Do not batter anyone or everyone about your company and products. If you start doing that, even your kids will run from you. There’s a difference between being persistent and being annoying. Don’t bug, chase or pressure people.
# 20 The process of approaching a new distributor is not selling. It’s listening and asking questions. Consider yourself a teacher and get really good at asking questions and listening.
# 21 It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, you’re not selling – you’re teaching. Once again, think of yourself as a teacher, not a sales person. Your goal is to educate people, ask questions and listen. Some will be interested, some won’t. It’s not your job to convince anyone.
# 22 To set appointments with prospects to get them to sign up, buy your products, and work the business, the person must buy you, first. People usually do business with people they know, like and trust.
# 23 I’m so casual about my presentations that people rarely know they’re being presented. The laid back, relaxed approach works very well. Be informal whenever possible.
# 24 A lot of people sign up so they can get the products cheaper. They order a case and sell the rest to their friends. Many folks will join as a distributor just to get a discount. Treat these people well, but don’t expect them or pressure them to build a large business.
# 25 Choosing the right people for your MLM group may be the most important issue of your campaign. Choose people wisely. You’re going to invest time; money and effort training people so make sure they are serious and committed.
# 26 The people who receive the biggest checks in MLM have signed distributors under them who are hard workers and who also earn big checks. You can’t be successful in this industry without a team effort. Most of your income will come from just a few people.
# 27 Ideal qualities in Prospective Distributors: They have healthy self-images, generally thrive on competition, and have a goal or goals they strive for. These are good prospects to look for.
# 28 Look for the people who come in slowly and build slowly, with depth and strength. They are the ones who stay. People who build fast typically don’t stay around very long. You are looking for someone who is committed and steady.
# 29 If I know someone will be good; I keep after them, in a pleasant way, of course. If you meet a sharp prospect don’t let an initial NO from them scare you off. Stay persistent and keep following up in a professional way.
# 30 Look for people who can see an opportunity, like to work hard, and have good reasons to do so! You definitely want to keep an eye open for people with a good work ethic. Lazy people don’t typically do very well in MLM.
# 31 Now, I will work with those who want to do the business and prove to me that they do. They prove that by calling me, going to meetings, giving meetings, and doing what needs to be done. If someone sincerely wants to make it, I’ll work with them until we either win or both tip over trying. Work with the people who are committed and willing to do the work. Work with the people who PROVE this by their actions.
# 32 If you have a gut feeling about a person follow it, either way. Trust your intuition. It is seldom wrong.
# 33 You have to believe in whatever you’re sharing with people. If you don’t believe in your products, the company or the industry, your prospect will sense it, and they won’t join your team or buy from you.
# 34 You’re self-involved if you’re more concerned about your feelings being hurt if you get a “no” than you are about the possible benefit to the person. Detach your emotions from the outcome.
# 35 You have absolutely nothing until this person is trained. Once a new distributor is trained, then they can start building their business.
# 36 When you sign a new person, they have, in effect, hired you to work for them – to teach them all they need to know and help them get started. Your reward will come later. When you sponsor someone, you are their employee, coach and trainer. You work for them. They don’t work for you.
# 37 You can’t possibly fail in MLM unless your company lets you down, you’re totally incompetent, or you quit too soon. More than half the battle is being committed and sticking with it.
# 38 After you sign someone, you have thirty days to train them before they get discouraged and drop out. The first 30 days is the most important time for new reps. Help them achieve success early, so they can stick around.
# 39 Help all of your first level people hold meetings, and teach them to do the same with their new people. Work closely with your personally sponsored people to help them with their meetings. Teach them by their example and have them do the same with their team.
# 40 Whatever the reasons, it’s death to your business not to train. Make sure you have a training program for your new team members, so they can get a basic understanding about how to do things.
# 41 My checks doubled when I started mailing newsletters. Send a monthly newsletter to your team each month.
# 42 Call your people constantly. Stay in touch with people often, especially their first few months in the business.
# 43 Always encourage your downline. Look for the good in others and encourage them to be great.
# 44 Your MLM business revolves around people. This is a people business.
# 45 Always look way downline for serious people. Typically, your best leaders will come in depth. Study your downline report each month and reach out to people in depth who are doing something.
# 46 Monitor and work with your serious people at least three levels deep (and more is better). Spend a lot of time working in depth. The best way to motivate others is from the bottom up.
# 47 If you have to convince someone to get in the business, you’ll have to convince them to stay in the business. I learned this lesson the hard way. Don’t convince anyone to do anything. You are only wasting your time. You want people to make the decision on their own.
# 48 Coming and going is easy. It’s the staying that’s hard. Most people quit everything they do in life: marriage, diets, saving, goals, New Year’s resolutions, etc. Just hanging in there and sticking with it is more than half the battle.
# 49 Send postcards or notes to those in your downline who are doing well. Keep in touch with the producers on your team. Keep encouraging them.
# 50 The payoff is where you are at the end of the race…not how long it takes to get there. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to be successful with your company. When you finish the race you get the same reward.
# 51 Look for people who were childhood entrepreneurs. These folks make great prospects, because they were taught to hustle at an early age.
# 52 Your first four to eight months in a multilevel are, generally, the hardest. In any business, the first year is the hardest.
# 53 The first thing you don’t do is batter new prospects with your fabulous MLM. Ask questions about them instead. Get people talking about themselves first, ask questions, and look for a problem that you can offer a solution for.
# 54 A newsletter does more to build and maintain my group than anything else I do. Send out a monthly team newsletter in the mail each month.
# 55 MLM research has shown that the ideal distributor is at least thirty years old, married, has two kids, two cars, a mortgage payment, and has an outgoing personality. Keep your eyes and ears open for people in this demographic.
# 56 The few who actually do something are making me, on average, $25,000 to $30,000 a month. Most of your income will come from the efforts of one to five people, regardless of how big your team is.
# 57 Your downline will copy you. Lead by example at all times.
# 58 Don’t quit your real job until you’re making enough money in MLM to comfortably do so. This is a VERY important lesson. Keep your day job until you are making at least 3x as much from your MLM Company.
# 59 Don’t steal another distributor or manager’s people, even if those people beg you to. Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.
# 60 If you want to succeed in MLM, stay away from negative people. Avoid negative people at all costs. They will drain you.
# 61 Don’t wait until you know what you’re doing to do the business. Don’t be getting ready to get ready. The best way to learn is by doing.
# 62 When you stop building your MLM with fear and desperation, you’ll be able to let go of the distributors who drain you. Work on yourself. Be poised and confident. Don’t think your success is controlled by any one person.
# 63 Don’t get hung up in the managing part of your business. Never get into management mode. Once you do that your team will stop growing.
# 64 Never, ever, get out of the building. Never stop your personal production. Always look for new people to bring in to the business.
# 65 MLM can be hell. It’s often difficult. This business will be the hardest thing you have ever done, but it’s worth it if you stick with it. On a side note, no business is easy!
# 66 Never compare one of your downline to another one. Everyone is different.
# 67 Never tell your downline who you’ve signed up, and how wonderfully the person is doing. When you talk to your team members, make the conversation about them, not about you.
# 68 Prove your spouse wrong. If your spouse is negative, the best way to win them over is to be successful.
# 69 The couples who work together as a strong team are often quite successful. Two people working toward the same goal is very powerful.
# 70 Most teachers are excellent at multilevel. This is a teaching business. Always keep your eyes and ears open for a sharp teacher. They are great prospects.
# 71 Work hard with those who are serious. Let the others drop away. Spend your time with the right people.
# 72 Two out of every five of my frontline need to be three levels deep. This is a good rule to strive for. Your business isn’t solid if people aren’t duplicating.
# 73 Think about how many people a person has to date before they find the right one, or get married. This business is no different. You have to sort through people to find the right people.
# 74 Just jump in and DO! DO! DO! DO! Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, do something. Ignorance on fire is better than intelligence on ice.
# 75 How can we motivate our people? You can’t. If you’ve taught them everything you know and kept after them and they’re not doing anything, it’s not your fault. They don’t have inner motivation. You do. Look for new people. Motivation is an inside job. Nothing you can do will permanently motivate someone else.
# 76 Be willing to start your business all over again if you have to. It’s best to start out right, but if you have to rebuild, do it.
About the Book
This book comes in soft-cover format. It was first published in 1993 by Ransom Hill Press. It has 276 pages. I believe it’s an out of print book, but you can still find copies of it on Amazon.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, “MLM Magic” by Venus Andrecht is a great book for any new or experienced network marketer. It’s well written, loaded with great information, and fun to read. If you haven’t purchased a copy yourself yet, I would highly recommend that you do.
What about you? What is your favorite quote from above and why? If you’ve read the book, did you like it? What did you like most about it? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
I really caught the #51, look for people who were childhood entrepreneurs. That is wisdom at its finest. If you find someone who went out and hustled to make some dollars, or even quarters as children will most likely be perfect prospects to hustle at a network marketing business. I had never considered this aspect, but it does make perfectly good sense. It also makes for good conversation with prospects in asking them how they made money as children. Many people love to talk about their childhood.
I always look for folks who owned a business as a kid. These are definitely your best prospects.
I think my favorite quote would have to be #34 ” You’re self involved if you’re more concerned about your feelings getting hurt if you get a “no” than you are a possible benefit to the person”. That was problem for a while, being so afraid of being told no, that I would be afraid to approach new people. And not only was I hurting myself, I was hurting the potential prospects by not approaching them. Valuable advice!
Each NO moves you closer to a YES.
I was wondering, how does a person find a favorite quote out all these great ones?
One thing that hit me was being a people person. It is not about “getting them” immediately. Get to know the person for who they really are. If you do that, you will gain a friend and then you can explain the opportunity. Friends trust friends, they don’t trust strangers.
I also the part about not comparing people. No person likes to be compared to someone else. There will always be something they do not care about that other person, and if you compare, the assumption will be that they have the bad trait that they do not like.
Yes, your objective is to build relationships with people. Lots of people will join your team if you build a good relationship with them. It won’t happen right away, but when the timing is right for them, they will become great business partners.