Changing The Face Of Network Marketing

You've probably heard the statistics; 97% of Network Marketers fail within the first 3 months of joining a company.  Actually, it's not so much that they fail, rather they quit and their quitting is looked upon as a failure.

But Why Is That?

Some would say they just didn't stick with it long enough.  Others would say they didn't follow the "Proven" plan.  Yet, I would dare to say they failed because they were not qualified.  In our zeal to recruit a distributor, we don't care if they are qualified, as long as they sign up!  And so what if they are struggling, as long as they stay with the program for a few months, we'll get to keep our commissions!  

Now, for some of you this may be hard to read, but it's the truth and it's a truth that must be changed.  It doesn't matter how great your company is, how great your products are, or how much financial backing your company has.  The only thing that matters is the qualifications of your prospect to build a business.  In order to be qualified, a prospect must have three things: Time, Money, and Desire.

Let's Talk About Time First.

You're talking with a prospect about your business and you're excited, they're excited and without any regards to how much time they have to devote to the building of their business, they join you.  After a short while, when the excitement begins to wane, they stop putting much effort into the program, if they ever did to begin with, and fill their time with other things.  Or, they didn't have a lot of time to begin with, but being caught up in the hype, how much time they needed to actively build their business was never discussed.

Next, Let's Take Money.

Sometimes, the hype can be so grand that the prospect is ready to take out a second mortgage on their home, just so they can come up with the money needed to join you right now!  Or perhaps, they are told to borrow the money, sell something, do whatever you have to do to get in right now...don't wait!  Oh, and my favorite...apply for a line of credit!  In the mean time, your new recruit's family is going without and they continue to struggle to pay their monthly fees, hoping that sooner rather than later, they will start to make some money so they can pay their bills.  And all the while, they're getting deeper and deeper in debt.

In both cases, by recruiting an unqualified prospect, you are setting them up for failure.  If they don't have the time to build their business, they will fail.  If they don't have the money, in their current budget, without putting a strain on their finances, they will fail.

We must put a stop to recruiting unqualified prospects into our business for our own gains.  Instead, we have to start caring more about the people rather than the business.  What good have you done when you've recruited someone only to have them quit after a few months because they weren't making any money.  The answer:  None.

The way to start changing the face of Network Marketing is to start caring about the people you are trying to bring into your business.   Take the time to find out if they even qualify!  Forgo the sale, if it's going to take food from their family's table.  Find out how much time they have to devote to building their business.  Stop with the HYPE and give the facts.  Note:  If your company's facts do not speak for themselves and you are forced to resort to hype, then you're in the wrong company.

So, the very next time you talk with a prospect about your business, qualify them first.  Take responsibility for creating a success story rather than one of failure.  Let them know you care about them as a person rather than just a sale.  And finally, make sure you recruit those people who want to build a business.

I mentioned a third qualifier and that is desire.  They can have all the time and money necessary but if they don't have a desire to build a business, they will fail.  You must make sure that you are recruiting someone who wants to build a business.  They must understand that it takes time to build a real business and their desire should be so strong they they are willing to put in the effort to do what it takes.

By recruiting someone who has the time to build a business, the money to stay in business, and the desire to see it through, you will be doing your part to change the face of Network Marketing and together we can start creating more successes than failures.

We Can Do This...Yes We Can!