Today, I want to do a book review of Network Your Way to Millions by Russ Paley. Russ Paley is a top earner in Melaleuca. In fact, he was the first Corporate Director in the company.
I received this book in the mail when I did a book swap with a good friend of mine. I had heard of Russ Paley before, since I did a brief stint in Melaleuca, but I never knew he had a book about network marketing.
I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was well organized, well written, and easy to follow. The content was great. The book was published in 1999 by Wealth Building Publications, Inc. It is in softcover format and has 224-pages. Overall, I give the book a 8 out of 10.
Top 40 Russ Paley Quotes
What I want to do in the paragraphs below is share forty of my favorite Russ Paley quotes from the book. Each quote is in bold and italics. After each quote, I will share my own thoughts on the subject. Enjoy!
# 1: Most networking companies will not make it.
Most businesses fail. Whether it is a traditional business, online business, or network marketing company there is usually a high failure rate. That’s why it is vital you team up with the right MLM Company.
# 2: You should look for a networking company that’s over five years old.
Ideally, you want to work with an established company that has worked out the kinks, has good finances and a proven track record. You want to work with a company that will be around for the long haul. It makes no sense to join a brand new company and build a big team, only to have the company go out of business in a few years.
# 3: Repeat orders for the same product or service is what makes income residual.
At the end of the day, you make money in network marketing by creating volume. To do that, people have to use and/or sell the products. Without a good product at a fair price, it will be very difficult to get repeat orders.
# 4: It is very advantageous for you if the company offers thirty or more products.
You want a company with a diverse product line. It doesn’t have to have hundreds of products, but 30 to 50 is a good starting point. You need a variety of products to appeal to more people and get more orders. If your company only has one product or service you really limit yourself.
# 5: Service-only companies are risky ventures.
The service industry is ultra-competitive. What might be hot today might not be around tomorrow. That’s one of the reasons I prefer product based companies.
# 6: You want a company that is product centered!
A company must have good products at a fair price. If it’s not a good deal for the customer, your customers won’t stick around. If everyone is only talking about the business opportunity, and not the products, get ready to eat a big lunch!
# 7: The products are the backbone of the company, not the compensation plan. The compensation plan grows from the products, not the other way around.
Without good products your compensation plan won’t matter much anyway. If no one orders the products, no one makes money!
# 8: Look for a company with a high reorder rate. Most networking companies have a reorder rate of between ten and thirty percent.
If people aren’t reordering month and after month, you are really missing out. Instead of having a residual income, you have to keep replacing everyone who dropped out. That’s why finding a company with good products at a fair price is so important.
# 9: Replacing inactive customers is very de-motivating. This is a big reason why networkers give up.
If every customer and distributor you bring into the business quits, it’s hard to stay motivated and keep pressing forward. Of course, some will quit regardless of what you do. But, if a company has good products at a fair price, many people who quit building the business will continue to order the products as a customer.
# 10: I would rather make a percentage on a person’s monthly purchases for the rest of his or her life than receive a one-time, up front big bonus on a customer’s initial order.
The real money and real profits in business is made in repeat orders, not the first purchase. Instead of getting a large commission on one sale, network marketing pays you over and over and over from people you refer to a company, assuming they keep ordering.
# 11: The breakaway marketing system gives the advantage to leaders who break away. If they break away from you, you lose the residual income they produce.
Breakaway compensation plans are inherently flawed. If you happen to recruit a “stud” and they do well in the business, their volume breaks away. Even worse, in most cases you are only paid on that volume if you meet certain requirements, which are typically quite hard to do.
# 12: You cannot drag anyone across the line in this business.
You can’t motivate people. Motivation comes from within. Work with the willing. Don’t make the common mistake of wanting success more for someone than they want it for themselves.
# 13: Never beg; always work with the people who are already motivated!
This goes hand in hand with the previous quote. Work with the people who are taking action and doing the work. All the time you spend with a non-serious person is time wasted.
# 14: Goals that are not written down will not be achieved.
If you want to achieve something, put it down on paper and give it a deadline. A dream is something in your mind. A goal is written down.
# 15: Never forget that prospecting is a numbers game.
This business is a numbers game. If you want to sponsor more people, talk to more people. It’s that simple.
# 16: Rejection is one of the biggest reasons why people stop working the business.
Most people can’t handle continuous rejection. Selling is not for the weak. This is why personal development is so important. Work on your skills, attitude and mental toughness so you become invincible.
# 17: One of the keys to fast success for you and your organization is to recruit up.
Try and sponsor people who are already successful, have a good sphere of influence, some disposable income and a good self image. Always look for people at your level of motivation and success and higher.
# 18: If your investment in any form of marketing is consistently greater than your profits, stop using that part of your marketing repertoire.
Track and test every form of advertising you use so you can determine what works well and what doesn’t. If you don’t track it you can’t improve it.
# 19: Never forget that bad word of mouth spreads faster than good!
Treat people well and they will tell a few people. Treat people bad and they will tell everyone. Good news travels fast. Bad news travels faster.
# 20: If you don’t know what you’re doing, Internet marketing can be a vastly unproductive money-drain.
Learning how to build your business online takes time, money, special skills and a tremendous amount of work. Plus, the internet is always changing. What works today might not work tomorrow. That is why most trainers and top earners still teach old school techniques.
# 21: One good prospect could ignite your entire business. You can find customers anywhere.
It’s true, one superstar can propel your business to the next level. Most top earners make most of their income from one to three people on their team. Don’t just look for customers and don’t just look for business builders. You need both. However, always keep your eyes and ears open for sharp people. Leaders are who you are ultimately looking for.
# 22: Two-on-ones, if at all possible, should be done at the prospect’s home or office. If you invite one guest to your home, the chance of a no-show or cancellation is much higher than if you go to the prospect’s house.
Whenever you meet with a prospect, go to them. Verify the appointment, show up on time, and make it as convenient as possible for your prospect.
# 23: The majority of my success has been through two-on-one presentations.
Leverage your upline or sponsor to help you get some people sponsored. Your upline coach is your most valuable business tool.
# 24: If I never make another nickel in this business, I still would be using the products and services every month, because of their low cost, high quality and convenience.
Find a company with products you are really passionate about. If the products don’t make sense, neither will the business.
# 25: Teach your business builders how to do the phone invitation and learn the art of overcoming objections.
Learn how to invite. This is one of the most important MLM Skills. More importantly, teach your team the most common objections and rebuttals, so they know how to handle objections properly.
# 26: I run with the runners. I walk with the walkers.
Match people’s efforts. Never do more for someone than they are willing to do for themselves. Learn more about who to work with.
# 27: The people I’m really looking for are those who have a burning desire to be more successful than they are today.
Look for people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired with their present circumstances in life. Your best prospects are coachable, hungry and willing to work.
# 28: I spend more time working on myself than I do on other people.
Your business will only grow as much as you do. Work on your skills, mindset and attitude. Be the type of person you want to sponsor. Grow me. Serve you.
# 29: I am tenacious. I walk and talk my business.
Keep your business a top priority in everything that you do. If your mouth is closed your business is closed. Be confident, be consistent and be persistent.
# 30: I believe people have to actually schedule for themselves whatever time they’ve decided to commit to the business – but they have to schedule it!
Create a work schedule for your business. Buy a day planner. Every Sunday night plan out the upcoming week. Decide what days and times you will work and what activities you will do during that time. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
# 31: The only way you can become a leader in any business is to take responsibility for setting an example.
Take 100% responsibility for your own business. Do not make excuses. Man up! Woman up! It’s no one else’s job to make you successful. The buck stops with you. Be the type of person you want to sponsor.
# 32: Leaders aren’t appointed. They make themselves leaders!
To become a leader you just have to make the decision to be a leader. Until you make that decision your business will not reach its potential.
# 33: The only difference between the top money makers and the average earners in any program is that the top people have done more presentations.
The people on stage making the big bucks are the people who shared the business and products with the most amount of people and got the most amount of NOs. That’s it.
# 34: Successful leaders realize that the pace they set is the example for the rest of the organization.
The speed of the leader is the speed of the team. Do the things you want your team to do. In most cases, they will not do what you do or work as hard as you do. But, set the pace just in case they decide to model you.
# 35: Customers do not grow our business, business builders do. While customers appreciate your products, business builders are looking for a check. If you want to attract other leaders, it’s imperative that you create a respectable check for yourself as soon as possible.
Become successful. Work on yourself. Be a leader. Do that and you will attract the right people into your business. Show your team what is possible in the business and become the type of person you want to recruit.
# 36: Eighty to ninety percent of everyone coming into the business will be only a customer and will not build the business.
Most of your team will just be product users, even if they initially signed up to be a distributor. Meet everyone where they are at. Never pressure anyone to do more with the business than they want to. And remember, customers are good. You NEED customers. Love on everyone and work with the willing. People will surprise you.
# 37: All great leaders in our industry sign up a minimum of four new customers a month.
Sponsor one new person a week, every week, and never stop. New distributors are the lifeblood of your business. Talk to 3-5 new prospects daily and you can easily sign up one new person each week.
# 38: All great leaders help one of the people they’ve signed up to advance to the first leadership level during each thirty to ninety-day period.
When you sponsor someone new, do what you can to help them achieve success right out of the gate. To succeed in this business you must help others succeed.
# 39: Great leaders are always positive, honest, and helpful to everyone growing the business.
Stay positive. Do the right thing. Treat others well. Be accessible. Return calls and emails promptly. Set a good example for your team.
# 40: Great leaders have specific goals which they revise often.
Set goals. Write them down. Review them daily. Update or change them when needed. Never stop doing this!
About Russ Paley
Here’s what I found out about Russ Paley from his LinkedIn profile.
Russell Paley is a Network Marketing Professional with over 25 years of experience. He is a best selling author of two books on the Industry of Direct Sales. He was the first person worldwide out of over 1 million to reach the top position in his Networking business. Russ has won hundreds of awards and is known as the “trainers trainer” in his business. He and his wife have earned over $11,000,000 USD and have over 14,500 customers worldwide. He has been featured in over 100 magazines, and has trained on satellite TV, radio, and around the world helping literally tens of thousands of individuals how to earn a residual, reliable income in the Networking industry. Russ has been on a counsel with his CEO and President for many of the last 25 years.
Final Thoughts
In summary, Network Your Way to Millions by Russ Paley is a great book. I highly suggest you order a copy, read it, and add it to your leader’s library. Overall, I give it a 8 of 10 and consider it a must read for any new or experienced network marketer.
What are your thoughts? What is your favorite Russ Paley quote on this page? Did you like the book? What was your greatest takeaway from it? Have you worked with Russ Paley before? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
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We drove past the Puerto Rico Melaleuca office today and it reminded me of this post. I was reading it again and noticed how Russ stated it is best to work with a company that has at least 50 products. I am in agreement with this because it provides you many sales avenues. Just because a customer doesn’t care for, or want one item doesn’t mean they won’t want something else.
The products are the backbone of any network marketing company, and the more products they handle, the better for the distributor. I also agree that service only ventures can be risky. Many people have jumped into the cell phone MLM systems, and I believe that these can change so quickly that it is highly risky
I came back to this post for some inspiration and I was really drawn to quote #40 about great leaders having specific goals which they often revise. This is so incredibly poignant. As things within the industry change and things within your specific business change, your goals should as well. I am constantly updating my business plan and my goals so that I can reach higher heights and achieve new accomplishments. I am never satisfied with the status quo. Once one goal is met I am on to another and I love that. Great quote there.
As I reread this post, I am grabbed by more of the quotes by Russ. He has a lot of wisdom in the quotes he had.
Looking for a company that is over 5 years old is quite wise. I would only say to go against that if a company seems to have superior products or services.
#18 is also a no-brainer, but many people don’t heed it. This is why you should keep statistics. If you are losing money on any form or technique, it is best to get rid of it and try something different. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over thinking there will be different results.
#26 is also timely. To really get sales and business, we must be, and act as the person we are pitching.
I agree that working with an established company makes the most sense.
First off, I love Melaleuca. It is a great company with high quality products. My father was a distributor for the company for many years and he thrived, so the fact that Russ found success with the company is appealing to me. I like the specific quotes you pulled out from the book, and I am very interested in finding out what else Russ has to share within his book. I foresee a trip to amazon.com in my near future.
This is a very good list of quotes.
I do feel a big desire to read this book. I have used Melaleuca products, and they are a good product and their prices seem quite fair. Some of the quotes that hit me the strongest were: #6 product centered versus service centered makes a lot of sense. #39 A positive mental attitude makes the best sense.
Great post Chuck. Thank you.
I’ve also used the Melaleuca products myself and they are wonderful.