Welcome back, my friends! If you are new to this blog, a warm welcome to you too!

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I was puzzled why so many people seemed to be unable to see the benefits of getting involved in Network Marketing. I mentioned about the EIEIO factors that could possibly be the reasons. If you would like to refer to my last blog before reading on, click here.

I have broken down this E for EGO into 4 distinctly different areas:

1. Ego Block

Some people have this hardcore thinking pattern or conditioning in their mind that is blocking them to review the Network Marketing industry objectively. Simply put, when a genuine business opportunity is presented to them, their Ego is in the way. They failed to see the benefits even though the benefits are obvious to many others.

Example 1: ‘I am a professional, I will never do anything as low as a sales job.’

Example 2:  ‘I have decades of experience as a Human Resource Manager, I am sure I can get back another job very soon. I am not too worried about this job loss!’

Example 3: ‘I am educated and have so much life experience, how could a young guy like Ray can possibly help me with my financial plan?’

Question: Is there anything in your conscious and subconscious mind that is BLOCKING you from reviewing options for your own life?
Story: Open-mind

An ex-corporate friend of mine was a high flying executive and ‘corporate princess’. One day, she was out of her office and out of job! It took her a good number of months before she finally realized that there was a better way! With her past experience and people skills, she ended up doing exceptionally well and was awarded a trip to the USA. Now she proudly announced that she is a ‘small business princess’. Amazing transformation!

2. Ego Trip

This is trip is common for people who has high self esteem. They are usually successful people who believe that they can apply their past skills and succeed wildly in Network Marketing. Whilst past skills and experiences are often valuable assets, these can be the Ego Trips!

Typically, those who get tripped are those who refuse to follow the Success Blueprint or System that their leaders advise them to follow. Some may not be that extreme. They may still follow some instruction but start to be really ‘innovative’ down the track.  That is, they do it their way, NOT the proven way. The result? Ouch!  “Network Marketing doesn’t work!!’, they would yield out loud! Often, in their mind, even intelligent and sharp people like them cannot make the business work, it is even harder for the less capable ones to succeed.

Question: Are you allowing your Ego to trip you over in your pursue for lifestyle or financial freedom?

Story: Teachable

Dani Johnson is one of the most successful Network Marketers in this profession. She turned from a homeless women into a self-made millionaire at the age of 23. She learned this Ego lesson from her mentor who challenged her directly when Dani came up with her own ‘brilliant’ ideas about how her Network Marketing business could be done. Dani got this ‘Tough Love’ smack-in-the-face comment from this mentor. Then she followed strictly what she was taught! Her life was changed forever! If you would like to get to know more about her, click here for the first of my little blog series about her No-Nonsense way of doing Network Marketing.

3. Ego Brake

This is a common one for those who have not fallen prey to the first two Ego enemies. This brake usually appears when the network marketers have achieved some success. Instead of continuing with the production mode (enrolling new team members), they fall into this management mode.  If they have the half-motivated team leaders, they spend a lot of time training and helping the team grow. If they have really excited and committed team leaders, they find themselves exhausted doing team training, personal mentoring, 3-way calls, etc.

Hard work. Not much duplication. These leaders have made themselves the centre of attention. Big mistake!

Question: How soon can your new team member become a self-sufficient business owner who can run his or her business without YOU being there?

Story: System

I learned  a key lesson from Tom Challan, a very successful network marketing leader who went from making millions to being completely burned out, tired and depressed. He used to believe that in order to make it BIG in Network Marketing, he needed to work exceptionally hard: recruit – recruit – recruit, do all the training, all the conference calls, set up all the advertising, take every call and every email from new recruits any time of week. The main mis-perception was that only after he became financially independent could he work less and enjoy life.

The BIGGEST mistake was that he was the focus of everything.  He had made the business and everyone’s success depend upon HIM.

Fast forward, you can see clearly that he has a wonderful system in place for him to build the business, support his team AND still ‘having a life’! He was the featured leader of the month in October 2012.

4. Ego Trap

This is a HUGE one. The Ego Block could be removed when there is a network marketer skilled enough to let the block go out of the way. The Ego Trip can be addressed by having a great team support system and a great mentor. The Ego Brake can also be coming to a halt by the leader’s commitment to Personal Development. Once woken up, the leader can go very fast.

What about the Ego Trap?

This could get someone trapped in their life challenges forever if the Ego block is not removed.

For some, they will NEVER start a Network Marketing journey at all.

For others, they may have started the journey, got rejected and discouraged…. got to such a stage that they were so deeply ‘burned’ that they declare that will NEVER to return again to this wonderful Network Marketing Profession.

Question: How can you avoid being trapped in life forever?
Story: Vision

Ray Higdon is now a world famous network marketer. Back in 2009, he was dead broke and facing foreclosure. He had failed in 11 Network Marketing companies in 7 years. What makes him rose to stardom is his Success Mindset. He was broke but not broken. He had that that crystal clear vision about what Network Marketing could bring to his future. He was not trapped in his situation then. He had his mind on the bright future that he visualized. He followed Success Blueprint. He implemented proven ways to do this business.

No secret. No drama. Just the firm belief in this profession and strong desire for a better future. Work and focus. He  has been sharing a lot of knowledge and wisdom in his blog.

A while ago, I started a blog post talking about Network Marketing as “A Better Way” for the future. Yet many people still have quite an attitude towards this industry. I truly believe that some people do not choose to embrace this business model simply because of their perception of what Network Marketing is. If you would like to start reading from this series, click here. Otherwise, just read on 

I use EIEIO to talk about the possible ‘blockages’ that are stopping some people from embracing this amazing industry. This post is about the second ‘E’ which stands for ‘Easy Way of Living Their Live’.

If you wish to check out the first ‘E’ for “Ego’, click here.

I have 3 separate posts on ‘I’ for ‘Ignorance about Time’. You can read the first of those blogs here.

Alright, let’s dive in to today’s discussion!

Easy Way of Living

One of my most respected and legendary Network Marketing leader Jerry ‘DRhino’ Clark mentions numerous times in his training material that the tasks that needed to be done in Network Marketing are easy to do AND easy not to do. This freedom to choose separates the 3% who will be successful and the 97% who will not make to the ‘Land of Paradise’.

I could not agree more with this very important piece of advice!

We human beings tend to like to do things that we enjoy doing. Things like watching television, going for movies, socializing with good friends and spending quality time with families.  So when it come to a NEW business, new skills needed to be mastered. New habits needed to be formed. It is in this transitional period that many have failed. Why? Most people will fall back to old habits of doing things. Those are the things that are so habitual that they are comfortable to do.

Let’s look at some real life scenarios here!

Example 1 : A full time employee starting a Network Marketing business, part-time

(say, 10 hours a week)

After a full 8-10 hour working day, it is easy for Thomas to pick up the phone and call up a few friends to see if they are open to check out an additional income opportunity that would not interfere with their day-t-day job. Thomas joined a week ago seeing the possibility of leaving his stressful job in 3-5 years’ time.

Easy Way of Living Trap (for 97% of people) – I will have the easy tasks underlined.

Thomas choose NOT to call his friends because of his thinking pattern might be:

Day 1:  I have had a very long day today, no big deal, I can start tomorrow. I better take a hot bath and rest. 

Day 2: Oh well, I am only new. I guess it doesn’t hurt waiting for another day so that I can learn more by listening to the CD on my way to work. 

Day 3: Oh NO! Why am I not starting yet? Maybe I am procrastinating! I better listen to this Mindset training first!

Day 4: Okay, I promised to call up friends. I am now quite behind. Maybe I really should send an email to all my high school friends and see who would be open to check out this amazing business!

Day 5: I think I better call some friends. None of them are replying to my email…. Well, maybe I need to warm them up a bit. Okay, I will  call John to have a chat first.

I guess I do not need to continue. Does that sound familiar?

Example 2: A stay-at-home mum with two young children

(also working part time, say, just 5 hours a week)

Her thinking pattern might be:

Day 1: It is important to have a decent working space, let me set up this work space first.

Day 2:  Emily has been crying all day! I am so tired. I would take a nap now for an hour while Emily is sleeping! 

Note: This is fair enough as health is always important. However, most mums would not squeeze in another one hour on another day to make up for the lost.

Day 3: Oh, I really should have contacted 6 people by now. I can’t believe Mary talking to me non-stop for a good 30 minutes! I deserve to have a cup of coffee to take a break. What a day!

Day 4: In the past few days, I have only called one person, seems like this is not going to work. Maybe I should read this time-management book to help me get better results.

Day 5: I have squeezed in 6 calls! Great! What happened to my friends? None of them would take a look! I guess this last 15 minutes will not be of much use either. I better take a warm bath to refresh before heading off to pick up little Johnny from school.

Old Habits

Before any new habit is formed, this pattern is very common.

This is why the desire for making the Network Marketing business a success must be very strong!

With a strong enough ‘Why’,  distributors will have a good chance NOT to choose the easy way ans stick to  the ‘Game Plan’. The ‘Daily Method of Operation’ is the single most important TASK LIST that needed to be strictly adhered to. This is why the initial strategic planning stage is important. Each of us has to come up with a UNIQUE action plan that can fit into our daily lives.

Then the rest is up to the individual’s discipline in breaking old habits and forming new ones.

Mentoring Is Crucial

Most people needed some ‘track and measure’ system in place to monitor the progress. Reviewing the daily progress is, theoretically, a do-able step. However, most people tend to be choosing the easy way of living their lives when they are not being supervised.

When personal accountability fails, the mentor can keep the distributor accountable.

Having said that, the BEST way to progress is to be internally motivated. That is, the reason for NOT choosing the easy way of living NOW is extremely strong because the distributor is committed to his or success in the mind, body and soul. The focus is on the TASKS that needed to be done now. The FAITH that the desired outcome will come keeps the distributor on track.

Very few people, if any, can be that laser focused. Have a mentor is advantageous.

I started this EIEIO Series to illustrate my own observation why it is that so few people would embrace the Network Marketing industry. For those readers who have not been following my post, you may want to read the first of my series to get the context first. Click here for that post please.

Today, I am going to talk about ‘I for Immediate Rewards’. I will talk about the most common immediate rewards for employees and employers. Then, I will cover some non-monetary rewards that Generation X, Y and Z love. Lastly, I will talk about the unique situation of stay-at-home mums. I share these views from what I have observed during my nine years network marketing journey.

Employees’ Immediate Rewards

Most people who are working for others are paid whenever they provide their labour or services. This is called Active Income. Whether you are a high paid banker or a working class labourer, there is one thing in common. No Work = No Paid.

These days, many people are living from paycheck to paycheck. With the rise in electricity bill, water bill and the high cost of living in general, many people have their focus fully on how to earn more NOW. Some choose to take on another job for another source of income. Others work harder and aim for a promotion and pay rise.

For those who explored Network Marketing and decided to give it a go, the immediate monetary reward often disappoints them. Many network marketers typically face challenges along the way and conclude that the hard work is not worth it. Investing the same amount of time, they could have exchanged their labour for more money.

Employers’ Immediate Rewards

Here, I refer to the employers who owns a traditional business – online or offline. Very often, small business owners need immediate rewards to pay for the overhead and marketing. No market = No Cash. More often than not, employers’ focus is on ways to generate money NOW. They time, energy and effort are typically spent in the actually running of the business for immediate rewards.

When a network marketing opportunity is presented to them, many would conclude that they simply do not have any time left for a side-business. Any ounce of effort would likely be spent in generating more cashflow.

Generation X (born 1965-83)

This group is the children of Baby Boomers. Typically, they are self-reliant. They often prefer immediate rewards such as fine dining, social gatherings, material goods and travelling.

For those who have a family, their top priority is having a great family life. When they are not a work, they would be spending time with friends and families.

The idea of using 7 to 10 hours extra a week seldom appeal to them.

Generation Y (born 1984-2002)

This group is famously known for their peer orientation and their seeking instant gratification. Their immediate rewards are often around themselves and their friends.  Social function, group activities and anything that is enjoyable NOW. Many in this group enjoy travelling as a group to places around the world as far as Iceland and Europe. (I am in Australia.)

The idea of having to work 3-5 years for ‘financial freedom’ often is a far-fetched idea for them.

Generation Z (2003- present)

They are also known as the ‘Digital Generation’. Everything they do tend to be fast-paced. Like Gen Y, they also like to spend time with their peer group. The plan of having to schedule a 7-10 hours a week on ‘business’ is beyond comprehension. For them, NOW is the golden age. They prefer to meet up with friends and have a great time.

Vision for the Future

You can appreciate that if a network marketer cannot ‘paint a picture’ for their prospects to see a different (and brighter) future, they will not join a network marketing company.

Now, let’s take a look at the stay-at-home mums.

Stay-At-Home Mothers

While the child is growing, every moment is treasured. For this group, the immediate reward is to be with their children and having great family life at weekends. Family vacation is often their yearly reward from the mundane household work.

Parenting is a challenging role. Many stay-at-home mothers that I know find it hard to have ‘spare’ time to do other things. However, for those with older children or those who are great at juggling various tasks, network marketing can pretty much be weaved into their lives.

It is a way to generate a supplementary income from home at low start up cost. The paycheck for running a part-time network marketing business may not be a lot at the beginning. Many would like to get started because any money earned is more than the initial ZERO income. For those with entrepreneurial mindset, they can see that the income potential is huge.

Besides, sharing products or services that they love gives them meaning in life (helping others) and recognition. These immediate rewards can be the prime motivation for them to do well.

Are you one of the Stay-at-home mother network marketers?
What attracted you to network marketing?

I started this EIEIO Series to illustrate my own observation why it is that so few people would embrace the Network Marketing industry. If you would like to start with the first post, click here. However, each post can be read on its own.

Today’s topic – Options in life can, ironically, be obstacles!

Here, I am sharing some observation that I have noticed in Australia. I am not sure if this also reflects to life in your country.

Let’s look at the various options that we face at some typical stages in life.

Teenager Stage

In the late teenager years, students face the options of continuing education or getting a job. These options can be the main obstacles for someone with entrepreneurial mindset. Teenagers conforming to the traditional education or work options may have been groomed further down the 40-year work plan that so many people believe in.

Those two commonsense options may be the very obstacles for the creative minds.

I am glad to see that some young people are open to the option of going into owning their own business! 

University Stage

Some teenagers choose to go down the university path. In Australia, many university students have to take up part time jobs to pay for their university fee. Some have to pay for their accommodation and daily living if they are living away from home.

Being able to get a part time job for instant rewards can be very attractive. This group of young people often choose to reward themselves with lifestyle options such as clubbing, going for movies, social activities and travel.

As you can imagine, those pleasurable rewards can be obstacles for them to explore alternative career paths for them. 

Is going through university necessarily be the best option? What about vocational training? How about something totally non-traditional?

Can you imagine what could have been achieved when a university student is willing to trade PART of his or her social time to do Network Marketing?

What about instead of having a part-time JOB, take on a part-time Network Marketing BUSINESS?

Wouldn’t it be better to prepare one’s own financial future than supporting the boss’ dream?

Mature Age – with or without a family

The common options are buying a home and going for yearly vacations.

Having a mortgage often keeps the the options closed for the bread winner of the household as many people are concerned about job security. Most people tend to be happy receiving a steady paycheck from their boss. The chances of them taking risks is even smaller when they have a young family.

Most have chosen this option: Buy a car, buy a home, have a family, go to work, take vacation. REPEATING year after year.

Getting the monthly pay and the yearly vacation can be such a joyous habit that many people simply allow life to drift on for decades. When this routine way of living becomes habit, very few people would care to explore other options in life. This happens to our household too. My husband has been working for over three decades!

Can you start to see a pattern here? The initial option can be the obstacle for a better life.

Mediocrity is a curse. Where have those childhood dreams gone?

Specially for Stay-at-Home Mums

It is wonderful that there are options in life. However, are we being too comfortable to explore more?

Could life possibly be better with us choosing another option?

As soon as I realized that my husband’s boss would not be the one looking after our retirement, I started to work on getting ANOTHER source of income.

I guess it does not take a genius to realize that having just one source of income is risky. I am blessed that I actually bumped into network marketing. I got educated about the wonders of a ‘residual income’. A better term for this is actually ‘repeat income’, meaning that once the initial work is done, income will come in month after month, year after year. Wouldn’t it be wonderful that we can get a paycheck from the letter box this month, next month and every month?

Choose your options wisely, my friends.

Start from ‘Now-Hour’?

Whether or not you would like to add on something to your life depends a lot on your thinking.

Do you believe that investing part-time NOW can bring a better future?

Only YOU can answer that question.

Start from ‘NOW-Hour’ or let life goes on by default?

Are you allowing your option to be your obstacle?

I’d love to hear your views and insights.

Recently I have attended the Go PRO Academy for serious Network Marketers who would like to bring their skills to another level. The organizer, Eric Worre, suggested us to use the term Network Marketing ‘profession’ instead of ‘industry’. For those who know me, you probably have got a good idea that I am a HARDCORE Network Marketing advocate. I give Eric the highest respect for his initiative and vision. 

SHOCKING Prediction by Eric Worre

As a passionate Network Marketer, it often puzzles me why is that so few people are taking advantage of this brilliant business model. Brian Tracy is one of my most respected mentors. He talks about ‘Success is Predictable’. He recently talks about ‘Learn More to Earn More’ in his blog. Why then is so few people tapping into this brilliant Network Marketing business model that has created so many world class leaders like Eric!

SHOCKING Observation by Me

I have come up with this acronym E.I.E.I.O. as in the children’s song ‘Old MacDonald’.

Perhaps we can have a bit of FUN before I dive into the more serious discussion? Click here for a short video entertainment.

Did you enjoy that video clip? I hope you did!

I believe that the main reasons why people may fail to embrace the Network Marketing Profession are:

E – Ego

I – Igorance

E – Easy way of living their life

I –  Immediate Rewards

O – Options available

What I mean is that most people live life by default. Without much planning and goal setting, they just let ‘life gets into the way’. People without a clear vision would likely choose a path that is easy for them. For example, watching television instead of self-education like what Brian mentioned in his blog. Hence, people are ignorant that there could be a better way!

For example, full time employees may not know that they can invest some 5-10 hours a week in self-education and start a part-time additional income. And, more importantly, that additional income could replace their current income, allowing them to have more options in life. When the boss decides that the job is to be axed, there is a safety net to fall back on.

Example 2, soon-to-be retirees may not know that by starting a part-time Network Marketing career, they can create an additional stream of income to supplement their superannuation income. They do not need to be fearful that they cannot afford a decent lifestyle after retirement.

Example 3, stay-at-home mums may not be aware that there are a number of ways within the Network Marketing business model for them to generate income from the comfort of their home. She can be at home with her children and feel proud about being able to contribute economically to the family.

Learn More. Earn More.

Stay tuned for my future post and I shall talk about each those five areas – Ego, Ignorance, Easy way of living life, Immediate Rewards and Options in life.

If you are in Network Marketing, do you have any ‘Learn More. Earn More’ story to share?

Any inspirational stories about leaders in your Network Marketing company?

I’d love to hear your comments.

I have just finished a series of blogs talking about the possible reasons why some people decided NOT to get involved in Network Marketing.

Today, I am going to talk about those people who love Network Marketing! Interesting enough, for some people, loving network marketing did not make them successful.

Some of them were involved in HEAPS of Network Marketing companies. Failed. Failed. Failed. Again and again.

By not giving up, some eventually cracked the code and become successful. How did they do that? Mistake Magic! They learned from either their own painful mistakes or from other people’s painful mistakes.

Common Failures

If we look closely at WHY people did NOT succeed in Network Marketing, there were some common answers:

1) No strong desire to be successful.

Outcome: They did not commit to the learning and prospecting processes (which were crucial for initial small success & building confidence)

Typical scenario: After going through maybe 20 or so friends and relatives, they decided that the process was just ‘too hard’.

Mistake Magic: As soon as the distributor realizes that to be successful in network marketing is not the top priority in his or her life, magic happens. They can quit network marketing and have more time and energy to embrace other aspects of life that is most important to him or her.

2) Lack of Proper Training (basic skills and leadership skills)

Outcome: The hard working (and often passionate) network marketer faced numerous objection and rejection and decided that ‘Network Marketing is not for me.’

Typical Scenario: The new distributors worked hard, contacting many friends and relatives, only to realize that it was not that easy to invite friends to come to meetings or take at a look at what excited them in the first place. Distributors became discouraged. Some quitted. Some pressed on, spinning the wheel without getting anywhere!

Mistake Magic: Distributors finally discovered that there were ways of communication that could trigger a negative response. There were different personality styles that influence how prospects preferred to be communicated to. Mistakes avoided. Improvement made. Happy encounters for ever! Yes, forever! Even if the prospect has no interest in what we have to offer,  no-one would got upset because of the professional network marketing process.

3) Lack of a Simple to Duplicate System

Outcome: Each new team members needed to be trained personally by the sponsor, taking away the leader’s time in doing actual prospecting.

Typical Scenario: New team members found themselves not ready to train their new team members. The duplication process was stopped.

Mistake Magic:  Magic happened when the new team members could EACH turn to a system for learning. The mentor ensued that new team members were given clear instruction s as to how to progress with their network marketing business. Tools. Tools. Tools. No-one is to rely heavily on one particular team leaders for success.

Simple Business – Complicated by People

Ask any successful network marketers, they would probably tell you just a few simple ‘secrets’ in making network marketing work.

There are no secrets. Network marketing is word-of-mouth referral. We have all been referring good restaurants, great movies, good books, etc to our friends and relatives. Network marketing is no different. Distributors simply share the benefits of the products or services with others.

In my last post, I talked about how a stay at home mum can use her spare time to get a job or start her own business. Often, the job or business can be based on her passion. This way, time is used wisely for generating an extra stream of income for the family. A stay at home mum can be much more than ‘just a stay at home mum’.

For single mums, this part time job or business can help a lot with the family finances. It can also help the stay at home mum to pave her way for a self-reliant life. On a grander scale, her day-to-day work set a very good example for her children to follow. In the case of Network Marketing mums, this part time business can even be turned into an amazing career path!

I’d like to share this inspirational story about Dani Johnson, one of the most ‘unbelievable’ stories!

The religious message may be a bit too strong. Nevertheless, do not let those block your mind if you are not a Christian.

Enjoy!

From ‘Beyond Stupid’ to Making Millions

I have recently came across a  FanPage that stay at home mums have the worst option in life. Is it really?

Let’s take a look at Dani Johnson’s amazing transformation journey. Click here to watch the 10-minute video clip.

Grooming for Success

Did you hear the passion in Dani about her strong desire in helping others to be successful?

“Who can we help to succeed?” is the reason that she is so successful.

At this very moment, you may be thinking that Dani was lucky. You may be thinking where on earth can I be groomed for success!

This brings back to my belief that Network Marketing is the MOST HONOURABLE profession on earth. One simply cannot be successful without first becoming non-judgemental, a better communicator, good at building relationships, having excellent time management skills and leadership skills.

The amazing thing is, the sponsor has YOUR best interest at heart. By default, if a team member is not productive, the team is not productive. The number 1 area that a new distributor needed to focus on is in getting the mindset right. A Success Mindset. A Prosperity Mindset. An Abundant Mindset.

Then, there is an on-going journey of Personal Development for the stay at home mum!

She is literally being groomed for success by the support team and her mentor.

‘I Am Not Good In Business’ Excuse

In my years of connecting with many stay at home mums. One statement comes up more often than others. This is the one: “I am not good in business.”

In most people’s mind, ‘in business’ means having business skills, a lot of start up capital and huge time commitment. It seems like they will have to be in a certain categories before they can be ‘qualified’ as a business person!

This is furthest from the truth in Network Marketing. People from all walks of life are joining this profession. The most important part is the mindset. Then, distributors are on a ‘Learn as You Earn’ mentoring program.

Was Dani Johnson a great business person when she just started? 

I knew Dani’s story well. Her secret is her willingness to learn and be 100% coachable.

‘The Marketplace Pays For Value’

This beautiful quote from Dani sums it all. The marketplace pays for value. When we learn HOW to provide value to others, we can earn millions, just like Dani.

Mindset matters a lot! If you are now thinking that getting rich is not really your priority, I encourage you to think in non-monetary terms. Can you imagine the value that you can provide to the world when you are as wealthy as Dani? She is featured in the ‘Secret Millionnaires’ TV Show and is constantly contributing to charities. Isn’t it a blessing that many more people can do that too?

What skills and talent can you bring to the marketplace?

What skills are you willing to learn so that you too can contribute to the marketplace?

I hope that by now you would not agree that stay at home mums got the worst options.

As Dani Johnson says, take responsibility. It is the key to an abundant life.

Welcome to this Y part of my A-Z series! This time, we are talking about Y for YES….. and Y for YOUR Vision!

Two nights ago, I went on this Business Networking Cruise. Our Guest Speaker, Max Markson, the Mr. Fame from Markson Sparks shared some incredible insights that I’d love to share with you here.

He talked about 5 key elements for success.

1. Have a Vision

2. Think Big

3. Don’t listen to Nay-Sayers

4. Work Your Arse Off

5. Give More

I also talked about V for Vision for stay-at-home mums in my previous blog post. You can check it out here if you have missed that.

Thinking big, having a ‘Why’ strong enough to keep us in the game is one of the key factors for Network Marketing success.  This industry has, until now, quite a tarnished name. It does take courage to face some of the obstacles or even ridicules from your friends or relatives!

Here come to Mr. Markson’s point number 3, it is important that you do NOT listen to naysayers! Most people who want to stop you from doing network marketing are those who do not really understand how this industry works!

Have you ever had a SUCCESSFUL network marketing leader telling you that network marketing doesn’t work?

If your  friends or relatives are telling you that this industry doesn’t work, ask yourself this question:

Are these people QUALIFIED to give you the advice on this possible career choice?

Work Your Arse Off

This part applies to those of you who are embracing this brilliant business model.

Do not go into the erroneous belief that the Success Journey is easy. Some people even naively believe that they can be rich real quick simply by joining a network marketing company at some kind of pre-launch!

The truth is: No Action, No Results. Some Action, Some Results. Lots of Action, Lots of Results.

My question to you is: Is it worth my effort to work my arse off ?

Ask any network marketing leaders, the answer is most likely to be “Absolutely YES!”

Give More

By the very nature of the network marketing business model, one can hardly become successful without first giving more.

When we approach our friends or relatively, are we coming from a place of  ’Giving Health Tips’? ‘Giving Hope to a Better Future’? ‘Giving 100% attention to others’ needs’?

Those who give, they receive.

As soon as there is a little group of team members, the same rule applies. The more we focus on GIVING, the more the team members will gain. That is when the team grows!

Network Marketing success is absolutely not just about getting  customers. There is a lot to do with this giving mentality!

Welcome back!

We are to talk about Crossing the line and Generation X in Network Marketing. For a fairly long time, much focus has been on the Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). Network Marketing companies that are providing premier nutritional supplements, skin care products and weight management products are marketing to this aging yet vibrant group.

Some baby boomers ended up embracing the business side of the Network Marketing company that had provided them with products that they love dearly. They love the vitality and excitement in their Network Marketing career.

Not surprisingly, there is this wave of second generation distributors excitingly sharing the products or business opportunity with others like their parents did. The second generation emerging leaders are from Gen X , Y or even Gen Z! Younger distributors are adding so much vitality to our company at the last Leadership Forum!

Generation X

Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post world war boom. Demographers, historians and commentators use beginning birth dates from the early 1960s to 1980s.

According to authors Michael Hais and Morley Winograd, “small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit that Gen Xers embody have become one of the most popular institutions in America. There’s been a recent shift in consumer behavior and Gen Xers will join the “idealist generation” in encouraging the celebration of individual effort and business risk-taking.

There is also a group of Gen X who are bored and would love to be doing  something that is truly meaningful, rather than a job that they can do well.

However, change can be scary.

If you’re trapped in a job that bores you but have a mortgage that needs feeding, today’s Modern Dilemma in Radio National’s Life Matters program may help you plan for your future.  

“I’m in my early forties and work in marketing.  I have been at the same organisation for around 20 years.  The job is fine, the pay is OK and the job is very secure. But I am bored and there is no sense of anything changing.  My department really needs to be reorganised to better reflect all the massive changes in the industry, but my managers aren’t keen to restructure. I have this sense of life passing me by and not having the right skills to move on. I have a mortgage and a partner but no kids. By nature I shy away from risk but should I try something new and risk losing a good salary and security or stay in a job I increasingly don’t like, until my retirement – still another 20 years away?” 

You can check out more and listen to the podcast here.

Crossing The Line

“Perfect is good but done is better.” ~ Jordan Adler

Are you living the life that you love to live? A life that is truly aligning with your higher purpose and who you really are?

For network marketers to finish strong, here is an inspirational story from Margie Aliprandi., a self made millionaire who is committed to inspiring others to step up and be more.

This is a bit over an hour long.  Her amazing story is truly empowering. Click here to listen to the interview.

From Head to Heart to Hope

When we have  a strong emotional reason for doing network marketing,  we become unstoppable. As one of my greatest mentor Jeffrey Combs says, the road blocks are building blocks! He famously says that there is “More Heart than Talent”.

Have you got a strong reason in your HEART for taking up network marketing as a serious part-time or full time income? The path that can release you from a boring job? The path that can truly help you to be a stay-at-home mum or dad?

Can you see that the Network Marketing profession can give you and others HOPE ?

If you like this post, please leave a comment. I’d also appreciate if you could share on other social media platforms.

Let us give others hope!

Welcome back to today’s A-Z series of Network Marketing Success for stay-at-home mums! Today’s topic can help a lot of mums who are not sure if Network Marketing is for them. Many people wonder if they might lose their friends if they do take on this Network Marketing business.

Let’s dive in and explain what a ‘warm market’ is first. In Network Marketing, we call those people that we know our warm market. Typically, those are our friends, neighbours, colleagues and relatives.  In contrast, strangers are our ‘cold market’. Most people feel uncomfortable approaching strangers.

The good news is, we do not have to approach strangers. Stay-at-home mums can build their business very differently from those aggressive ‘heavy hitter’ network marketers who prefer to approach a lot of people in a short period of time.

A Double-Edged Sword

The warm market, however, is a double-edged sword.

For those who have never been in any Network Marketing business before, their friends or relatives can easily discourage them to start doing the business in the first place. Until today, there is still a negative stigma attached to this industry. Once on the Network Marketing journey, some friends who have failed in Network Marketing would want to ‘rescue’ you! As a new marketer, one must fully understand the nature of this industry, prepared to face the challenges and charge forward the right way!

For those who have done Network Marketing before but did not succeed, they typically do not have a big warm market any more! Most people are quite reluctant to re-approach their friends or relatives who have already told them ‘No’. Some may have rejected them in several different Network Marketing endeavours! There is no more warm market then?

Professionalism in Approach

This is the BEST approach for the two categories mentioned above.

For ex-Network Marketers

Re-approaching their friends and relatives with strong conviction is one of the ways to succeed.  There are so few real leaders in network marketing. All prospects want to feel that they are following the right mentor to success. The message should be very clear – that you are focused and going ahead with or without them!

Personally, I did not found this way to be particularly helpful.  I have chosen to create my own warm market instead.

Asking for referrals and business networking are two effective strategies for expanding the warm market. For stay-at-home mums, there are meet up groups that gather in the morning. There are online forums and groups where people can connect with new friends. Making friend and relationship building is so much easier now!

For more serious leaders, blogging or a business FanPage may be for you. Blogging is my online strategy to connect with more like-minded people who might wish to explore Network Marketing. I have also created a FaceBook FanPage to assist others.

For Those With  No Network Marketing Experience

Start with a name list of friends and relatives. Those are the people who know and trust us. When we have found great products or services, why wouldn’t us want to share with others?

Professional network marketers use their skills to find out if others are open to checking things out. Going through a few simple steps, they collect decisions. Some will join them. Some won’t.  That is all good.

As soon as there are customers, new doors are opened for more potential customers. Satisfied customers like to share their positive experience with others. Testimonials sell.

For any one person who joined as a business builder for this business, it is another door for some 100+ connections!

Working with the leaders is by far the best way to grow the Network Marketing organisation. The “Enrol 3. Help 3″ approach is for building a strong business foundation. Our company’s top leader advocates helping 5 to help 5. I believe you get the idea!

For those who joined, they are grateful for the introduction to something that gives them a better future! Professionals develop lifelong business partnership with their friends. Many great leaders in my company have introduced their own adult children into the business.

Losing relatives? It is far from the truth when we do things the right way!

Warm Market Expansion

For those who have very few friends or very skeptical friends, they will have to learn the skills to expand their warm market. How? Joining local interest groups is one of the best ways. When people with similar interests get together, it is easier to build rapport and build trust.  As mentioned earlier, there are online channels to make friends as well.

WARNING: Do not abuse the friendship like many people do. Be genuinely interested in helping others. Skills matters!