Three Keys to Better Reaching Your Network

One of the greatest mistakes that network marketing professionals make early in their business is  attempting to be someone they are not.  This is done in the name of being duplicable. They see someone who is growing their business by leaps and bounds by writing a blog, so they start a blog.  The problem of course is that they have never written a blog before, and are not particularly good at writing.  But because someone else is having success by writing a blog they think writing a blog is the absolutely key to being successful. On the other hand, they see someone else who is being successful by teaching classes.  So they begin steps to start as many classes as they possibly can.  The problem is that the other person is particularly gifted at public speaking, and the budding Network Marketing Professional is terrified of speaking in front of people. The point here is this, just because someone is having success with one form of communication does not necessarily mean that you will have success with the same method.

Key 1: Know Yourself
If you want to be successful at recruiting and prospecting, you have to know yourself. Know your strengths. Know your weaknesses. If you are terrified of speaking in public then teaching 101 classes in person may not be your best strategy.   If you don't enjoy writing, then starting a blog may not be the best strategy for you.  You don't have to do all the things that your upline is doing.  Being duplicable doesn't mean you have to match their talent or personal strategy.  We are not attempting to reproduce every aspect of each leader; we are reproducing a process. How you go about prospecting and recruiting does not necessarily have to be the same as the person who is coaching you.  If your coach is a incredibly good at public speaking, but you are a master of social media then you should consider doing your 101 classes online rather than in person. It's okay to prefer social media to person to person. It's also okay to prefer one on one to groups, or groups to one on one.
Know your strengths. Focus on your strengths first.  Start your business by doing things that you love to do! Grow in your strengths.  Practice them and get better at them.  Find other people who are using the same things that you love to grow their business and look at how they are doing it and follow their example.
Know your weaknesses. Understand that you may be able to start your business on your strengths, but eventually your going to have to improve your weaknesses. You may not be great at public speaking, but eventually your probably going to want to address your whole team at one time in person. You're going to have to work on this area.  You don't have to make it your favorite thing to do, but you do need improve yourself by stepping outside of your comfort zone. If you don't want to grow as a person then you probably shouldn't be a business owner.

Key 2: Know Your Network
This may not seem like a very profound statement but it's true, and it's important to say so here goes: YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW. Your network is made up of all kinds of people whose life you influence in some way.  These are friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers and business associates who all have at least one thing in common: they all know you. You are in the best position to communicate to them how your product can positively affect their life. Since they are your network, you are in the best position to determine how best to reach out to them. If your network is primarily made up of computer geek hermits who hate to leave their house, an in home 101 is probably not the best option for reaching them. On the other hand if your network is made up primarily of stay at home moms who can't wait for a chance to get out of the house, a 101 class in your home may be GREAT! Don't just try to match what's working for someone else.  Strive to do what works for you, and for your network.

Key 3: Know Your Upline
Know several generations of your upline. Seek them out and listen to what they say.  Strive to follow their leadership and model them in their process. It's important for you to understand that their success depends on your success. They are there to help you be better.It's also important for you to understand that they are paying attention to their entire downline. They often see the 10,000 foot view which means they know what's going on in general, and they are more aware of what's going on in the company in particular, but they may not be aware of your specific situation.  So you are going to need to seek them out. My wife and I have a very specific policy in this area.  We don't chase people down and try to coach them.  We coach people who are committed and seek us out for coaching.  Also understand that part of your uplines job is to help you be a better team member.  Sometimes that means your upline may strive to help you see how you can solve the problem yourself. They are doing this to help you be better, and to help them better manage their time. Any good upline has as their primary goal in all of their interactions with you to find some way to help you be better. If you allow them to influence you in this way it will usually be to your benefit.

Seeking to have a better knowledge of these three areas will require effort on your part.  It will require thoughtful consideration and time commitment. But you will be better because of your commitment to grow as a business builder.