This post will review my results of sponsoring 100 MLM distributors into my primary network marketing company.
None of this is to brag. Some of these stats are impressive. Some of these stats are not. You be the judge.
I simply want to be transparent and give you something to shoot for, so you know what you (might) have to do to succeed, and you know what to expect as you are building your network marketing business.
I know most distributors would never share their recruiting numbers. Yes, people will tell you how many reps they have recruited. BUT…
They won’t tell you how many of those people have quit, how many produced, etc. That’s why I am doing it. You NEED to know WHAT to expect, if you want to succeed!
I keep detailed stats for each person I sponsor. I update my tracking spreadsheet once each month, every month. I am a numbers guy and I want to track my progress.
After all, businesses should be predictable. Of course, individual results will vary. This is just my experience.
My Mindset
I am a student of Mark Yarnell, Jordan Adler and Brian Carruthers. I have tremendous respect for these three men. If you have never studied their materials, please do so.
Mark is now deceased. R.I.P. Mark. The other two, Jordan and Brian are VERY active in the industry. All three are/were MLM Millionaires.
They’re three of the only leaders in our industry I know of who actually tell people this business is a numbers game. I agree with them.
I believe that you can’t make someone else successful or drag someone else across the finish line. I’ve tried to do that before and it never worked.
People have to be hungry, coachable and willing to work to succeed in a big way. Most people do not possess ALL THREE of those things.
I believe the sponsor’s job is to sign people up, do their initial training, be accessible, and lead by example. I do not believe in coddling, hand holding, or babysitting team members. I offer help to my team, but I do not babysit or try to motivate people. That is the individual person’s responsibility as I see it.
Some of you will hold that against me, or disagree. That’s ok. To each their own.
I don’t really believe in duplication either, since most people don’t duplicate anything. Most people do nothing and quit, regardless of what you do to help them.
Once again, numbers don’t lie. Most people never sign up even one person or stick around more than 30 to 90 days.
How is that duplication?
If everyone you sponsor doesn’t accomplish EXACTLY what you did, then duplication is a lie. That’s how I see it.
I don’t believe in finding five who get five who get five either. In fact, I’ve never seen that happen. Have you?
I also realize most top earners have recruited between 100 and 500 people personally, if not more than that. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but not many.
There are a few people who built big businesses recruiting 20 to 50 people. I applaud these folks, but once again, they are not the norm.
Remember those numbers: 100 to 500 people.
Here’s what Brian Carruthers says in his book, Building an Empire:
“Recruit 100 to find 20 who will do something, and maybe one out of the 20 who will strive to become a star in the business (page 85).”
I personally have the mindset of the old Amway legend, Bill Britt.
When asked what was his secret to success, this is what he said:
There is no secret. I simply showed the plan to 1,200 people. 900 said ‘No’ and only 300 signed up. Out of those 300 only 85 did anything at all. Out of those 85 only 35 were serious, and out of those 35, 11 made me a millionaire.
That advice is the blueprint for my own network marketing business. It’s my strategy.
Sponsor 300 to find 85 who do anything at all to find 35 who are serious to find 11 who help make me a millionaire.
I also believe EVERYONE could sponsor 300 people. Sound crazy?
Sponsor just THREE people a month and you could do that in 100 months (8 years, 4 months). Sponsor five people per month and you could it in five years.
Even a part-timer could do that if they set their mind to it and stayed consistent. Keep in mind I said COULD, not WOULD.
It’s up to you to decide if you will put in the work and stay the course. Most people will NOT.
OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- How to Have Fun with Your MLM Team
- My System for Building My MLM Business
- Dealing with Adversity
- This is a Numbers Game
- Dealing with Attrition
My Journey
I have been in the industry since 2002. I was fairly serious with my first company for 2.5 years and then I bounced around for about twelve years until I found a company I could really get passionate about.
I joined my current company in late December 2016. I worked really hard for five months and achieved great results, but I got the shiny object syndrome. Even though I did really well, and made great money, I left my company for another opportunity. That was a HUGE mistake.
After about nine months of wandering in the MLM Wastelands, I got my head out of my ass and came back to the company. I was fortunate enough to get my old position back. That was late February 2018. Now, as of July 2018, I’m here to stay. We are setting records and building it big.
It took me just over five months to sponsor 100 people and seven months to sponsor 120 people. I am very good at recruiting and enjoy it immensely. After about 11 months of building, I’ve now recruited about 160 people.
HOW I RECRUIT
I recruit 100% online through this blog, my podcasts, and my YouTube videos. I also do a lot of direct mail and paid advertising. I still talk with my recruits via the phone, email or by SKYPE. We do a lot of interaction using those methods. I just meet people online and take that relationship offline as quickly as possible.
Heck, we’re in a digital world. Why not leverage technology and work smart? I can’t speak for you, but I want a REAL home based business, not something I have to drive all over town, the state or country to do.
I work in my pajamas every day. I like it that way.
I have not done meetings, met with people face to face, or done a home party since joining my primary company. I simply use my phone, Facebook, email and the internet.
I understand my method of building the business won’t work for everyone. But, it works great for me.
If I have to sponsor more people to hit my long-term goal, because I build my business online, so be it. I believe in being efficient and I want to leverage my time and work smart.
I built my other network marketing businesses the traditional way with one-on-ones and home meetings for nearly 10-years, and I experienced a high attrition rate. If most people are going to do nothing and quit, why not recruit as many people as possible in the most efficient way possible?
I have tremendous respect for people who build their businesses the “traditional” way. I just see that way as extremely INEFFICIENT and a BIG TIME WASTER.
In fact, most top earners in our industry don’t have a life because they are so busy doing meetings and traveling. I have a REAL home based-business.
I know that no matter what you do you will lose MOST of your people. Most people will do very little and quit, regardless of what you do to help them. It’s life, folks. You can accept it or become a statistic.
My Results of Sponsoring 100 MLM Distributors
Here are some specific stats for my network marketing business. These are my results of sponsoring 100 MLM distributors. Once again, I have the information to back this up and support it. I did not pull these numbers out of my ass.
- I sponsored 120 distributors in 7 months, averaging 17+ personally sponsored distributors per month. I also signed up 7 customers during that time, for a total of 127 people.
- 31 of the 120 people I sponsored are still active in the business (26%). This means they ordered in April 2018. The other 89 people quit or order very rarely.
- Of the 89 people who quit, about 90% of them quit in 90-days or less.
- Of the 120 people I sponsored 38 were female and 82 were men.
- Of the 120 people I sponsored, 92 were people I met online and had no prior relationship with. They were complete strangers. These folks contacted me first and asked me to join my team.
- Of the 28 people I did know before joining the business, most were from prior business relationships and most of them reached out to me first, to join my team.
- Of the 38 females, I only knew 9 of them prior to the business (mostly through other business ventures).
- Of the 38 females, 10 are still active in the business and 28 quit.
- Of the 82 men, I only knew 19 of them prior to the business (mostly through other business ventures).
- Of the 82 men, 21 are still active in the business and 61 quit.
- Only 1 of my leaders is personally sponsored, the rest come from other people.
- My team currently has 1,467 people on it, and about 15 to 25 percent of those people are active.
Key Takeaways
Once again, these are just the takeaways from my experience. Your results will vary.
- 2.6 out of every 10 people I sponsored stayed with the business
- About 1 out of every 5 people I sponsored signed up at least one person
- About 1 in 20 people I sponsored signed up more than 5 people
- About 1 in 50 people I sponsored signed up more than 10 people
- About 1 in 100 people I sponsored was a rock solid leader (although I have several up and coming leaders, time will tell)
Now, let’s go back to what the legendary Bill Britt said for a minute:
There is no secret. I simply showed the plan to 1,200 people. 900 said ‘No’ and only 300 signed up. Out of those 300 only 85 did anything at all. Out of those 85 only 35 were serious, and out of those 35, 11 made me a millionaire.
Based on his numbers:
- Only about 1 out of 3.5 people did anything at all and stayed in business (300/85)
- Only about 1 in 9 was serious (300/35)
- Only about 1 in 27 was a leader and really serious (300/11)
My stats for “people doing anything at all” is about right.
My stats for serious people and really serious people are lower than his.
However, I have not gone through the 300 people yet, so there are a lot of factors and variables that could play out in the next few years.
Plus, my business is still in its infancy, only about 16-months old (counting the 9-months I was gone).
I might have some future leaders on my team already who simply haven’t identified themselves yet.
How I Train My Team
We have systems in place to train people. We do a Tuesday training webinar, a Wednesday night opportunity call, a Facebook group, a daily training email, and one-on one coaching as needed. We also have a team training website. The training is there, although nearly 95% of the people who join my team do not use it or get plugged in. People are funny.
My End Goal
My goal is to eventually have a team of 100,000 or more customers and affiliates. More importantly, my goal is to have a business that takes me no more than one hour per day, five days per week to grow and maintain. I have no desire to ever work my business 40, 80 or 100 hours each week.
I want an automated business. All of my recruiting is automated. Almost all of my training is automated. This gives me time to do what I want to do.
Join My Team
If you’d like to work with me personally, and join my team, you can go to my website to learn more. I work with a natural and organic products company. We have a free marketing system, killer compensation plan, postcard marketing system, great training, and so much more. We also have the largest and fastest growing team in the company.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There you have it folks. These are my results of sponsoring 100 MLM Distributors. I would love to know what you think. Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a great day!
My Recommended Products & Opportunity

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We offer a wide selection of products that people want and can afford. Every month the company adds new products. Our products are third-party tested and come with a no questions asked 90-Day money back guarantee.
I am looking for people who want to save money and make money. You can learn more about the business here or you can check out the products and shop my online store here.
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
Well now! Here I was thinking that if I had given my people to others, each would have been motivated to work harder. I was going to try it. Phew! Thanks for this.
But WHY doesn’t it work? Because people are funny?
People are crazy. I say it daily.
Re: the gender numbers – a higher percentage of women have stayed with the company. That matters more than how many signed on, in my opinion. I wonder if being male recruiter/leader is an advantage, statistically speaking.
Not sure, but pretty interesting when you put it like that.
Hi Chuck,
Well done and congratulations! The number that surprised me the most was that only 27 women signed up with you. I’ve heard that overall, women make up around 82% of all network marketers. Your numbers are the exact opposite. I wonder why?
Good luck with building a local team! I’m heading offline to do that too. Hopefully, I’ll see you at the top!!
Personally, I think my No B.S. style turns off a lot of women. Maybe some men, too. I could be wrong though. Most women are much more nurturing than I am.
I think I would have to agree with you.
I personally like the no nonsense style, but it is quite possible that many women take it somewhat harsh or overbearing, but that is fine in my book.
We actually need more no-BS people in network marketing. There has been too much nonsense that has given the industry a bad reputation. If we tell it like it is, no one can say that they were scammed or conned.
I do believe that as time goes on, you will draw more females into the plan.
Great job on the numbers and I believe I am talking to a soon to be millionaire.
Thanks for the comment Greg.
I should note that almost all of the people I sponsored reached out to me first, so I’m not sure if that affects anything.
If I was prospecting people myself, I would focus on women.
That’s what I am doing now.
That being said, I think certain personalities are good fits to work with each other, just like relationships, and other personalities are not a good match.
Opposites do attract.
Normally, people who are a lot alike but heads and clash, but not always.
Great insights, Greg.
Recruiting is key key factor when it comes to success in network marketing. Anyone who is able to recruit daily like the way Chucks play the game succeeds automatically because this means multiplying the time you are working daily and that is big money
Thanks Chucks for sharing with us
Glad you liked the article. I look forward to seeing how my business turns out after I recruit my second batch of 100 people.
Well put together blog post Chuck. You were very transparent with your business numbers and that says a lot about you. How you laid out your strategy for building your business is solid and fundamental. There was nothing fancy just straight up consistency and hard work.
They say the only way you can fail in network marketing is to quit and this couldn’t be more true. Most people quit before they even get started or they get upset at the results they didn’t get from the work they didn’t do. I think people look at mlm like a lottery ticket when in fact it’s the opposite. It takes hard work repeated over and over.
Like I said great blog post man keep keep up the good work!
Glad you like it man. My goal is to always keep it real with people. Thanks for the visiting my blog.
You hit a nail on the head…failure is a direct result of quitting.
Whether we work the program part time or full time, if we do not quit, there is a bright rainbow in front of us.
The key is working it. You are right that it is not a lottery ticket and it will not rain leads or prospects unless we actually work the system.
Your input added greatly to this fantastic post.
Quitting isn’t always a bad thing. It pays when to know when to quit. That being said, you can’t really quit something you haven’t even started. Put in the work, make some mistakes, tweak things and give it your best for a couple of years before you tap out. That is what I recommend.
Wow and wow! This is the best article you’ve done Chuck, I think. For one, I loved Adler’s Beach Money and Carruther’s Building an Empire, both really necessary books to understand “the numbers game.”
You really put your heart out there with this one. I know that most people quit without doing anything and it’s very disheartening, especially for people who don’t understand network marketing.
I agree that duplication is a pipe dream. I’m happy getting a distributor to order a second month in a row!
I don’t know how many distributors I gotten because I switched positions a year in, but I’m thinking I’m close to 100. I’ve had little retention because I am not a trainer or leader. (yet) I don’t pretend to be a MLM trainer on my blog like so many other distributors starting out. It seems like most new MLM bloggers feel they need to look like an “expert trainer” to get Leads, but it’s BS and misleading.
Awesome post man, this is definitely a manual or manifesto in itself and will be bookmarked forever.
Thanks for the kind words man. I’m glad you liked my article.
Don’t pretend just be you…People can easily know when you are not yet a leader and forming to be one…people can identify more with our challenges.. than giving experts advice that were curated online
Thanks, you for giving me hope…though, I have come to understand something with my environment, I would like to build locally, because my country is much into physical meetings and my company has venues for meeting…
You have proved it again, numbers don’t lie…the story still sales…fact tells
Also on your male female ratio…it is definitely due to no B.S and I think women work the business better but they also firstly require a lot of pampering (lessons from my wife)…
Thanks for your honesty…you rock!!!
I really like what you pointed out about new distributors trying to make it seem like they are experts off the bat. If any reading this are using that method, you are only fooling yourself. People will see right through it when you are not able to answer a simple question.
I have found it is much better to be completely honest. Tell people you are new at it, but you have used the products and love them, and from what you have seen this far, the compensation plan is great.
If we are honest with people, good tidings will come.
Being transparent is the best way to go as I see it.