Attrition (people leaving) from your mlm business can be devastating. And attrition is at an all time high in network marketing. People jump from opportunity to opportunity in search of a “quick fix.” And when they don’t make it big, they get discouraged. The next thing you know, they get caught up in the hype of another business and are off to join the “next big thing.”
The only way to have a true residual income in network marketing is to build a great team of leaders who are loyal to you and your opportunity. Here are four tips to help achieve this.
be a servant.Not blaming your team for staying, but establishing TRUST. When your new distributors are starting out, help them make phone calls. Help new people drive traffic to your business website. Now, don’t “coddle” them. But be sure to go out of your way for them.
Think back to when you were starting out in business. Perhaps you were a bit skeptical or aloof. You weren’t sure if this whole “mlm” thing was going to work for you. How did your upline earn your trust? They did it by going to work FOR you. They helped him build his business… which brings me to my next point.
Be a personal mentor.Serving them in their business as well as their personal lives goes a long way. Help them gain the self-confidence they need to succeed. Help them learn the skills they need to grow a profitable business. Spend time with them, one on one. This personalized approach goes a long way. Your downline will have no excuse as to why you are not making it. Give them all the tools and knowledge they need to get the job done. When you help them not only learn business skills, but also overcome obstacles in their lives, they will find a great appreciation for your experience and training.
Make sure he understands that you are not his “mother” but a “good friend.” What I mean by this is that sometimes her downline will not agree with what she says. And you BOTH need to acknowledge that this is okay. A good friend is the person who doesn’t let her friend take the wrong path. Sometimes this can put stress on a relationship. If you are serving your downline, mentoring them personally, and they submit to your mentoring, they will understand that you have their best interest at heart. A group with this philosophy is a strong and loyal group.
Motivate your team.I was recently listening to a personal development CD. The author of the CD described how amateur coaches train their teams through logic. Professional coaches train their team through emotion.
Let’s be honest. If everyone would come together and stay in business for LOGIC, we would all be millionaires by now. So why aren’t we? Because people do not understand that there will be a struggle and they must stick to the actions that allow them to overcome those struggles. And the reason so many people don’t take that step is a lack of motivation… (hint: about 80% or more of your team will go to all your company events and meetings, but won’t do much to help) . Actively GROW your business!)
People are motivated by two things and two things ONLY: to get pleasure or to avoid pain. That is all. And which is more motivating? Surprisingly for some, avoiding pain is MUCH more motivating. You may need to motivate your team by REMINDING THEM of what they will NOT get if they don’t build their business. You have to remind them about the economy, “retirement” and all the other crap sometimes. I’m not talking about depressing them. I’m talking about hitting your team DIRECTLY. Give them the truth. Remind them of their options.
Let them know it’s not about THEM. One of the most effective types of motivation is not through your PERSONAL pain, but through the pain OTHERS will have if they DON’T build your business.
Let me give you an example. I was so broke when I started in this industry, my wife and I knew there was no way we could afford a family and live in a good school district for our children with the money we were making. I used to make a vision in my mind of the “future memories” I was going to have with my future children. I would think about trips to the beach, amusement parks, their first day of school, meeting them getting off the school bus, seeing them hit the game-winning home run in their softball game.
Do you see what just happened? You just saw those exact moments in your mind. Think of your future children in those memories. What color is his hair? What color are your eyes? What kind of clothes do they wear? Imagine what their smiles are like. Imagine how their laughs will sound. Stay with that image for a moment longer.
Now… Think of all those moments that NEVER happened because you were “too busy” to build your business. You were “too busy” hanging out with friends, at happy hour, or watching TV. You failed. You didn’t put in the necessary effort to get those results and now all those great memories are gone forever.
Do you see how powerful that vision is? It was that exact vision that took me from NO business to a MASSIVE business. Using images like this can motivate your team for MONTHS, if not YEARS.
Make your team members profitable.Do you think your best employees would quit if they were making THOUSANDS every month? I do not think. What if your best employees only made a hundred dollars a month? If that’s the case in the first place, you may need to re-examine your company’s compensation plan. The next thing to think about is: “Did you do the first 3 steps above?” If you’re doing those 3 things, you should have some profitable people on your team.
Serve, guide and motivate your team to great profits and they will be loyal to you until the end of time.