The key to success in any type of business typically boils down to mastering a few critical tasks. These tasks are typically quite obvious and not overly complicated. In most businesses, the most critical tasks are sales and marketing. These are the tasks that make the cash register ring.
In many cases, small business owners avoid these critical tasks because they don’t know how to do them effectively AND because it makes them feel uncomfortable. After all, how many people honestly enjoy marketing and sales?
I do, but I understand most people don’t.
In network marketing, the basics are prospecting, inviting, presenting, following up, getting customers and training your team. If you wanted to make it even simpler to understand, retailing and recruiting are the basics in MLM. These are the tasks that grow your business and put money in pocket.
I like to call these things the money producing activities.
All other tasks are inferior.
You see, most people confuse busy work with productive work. Ask any network marketer how much time they spent last week building their business and you will probably hear responses such as 5 hours, 10 hours or 20 hours.
However, if you were to look at HOW they spent that time you would quickly discover that most of them spent 99% of their time on busy work, not productive work. In other words, they spent a majority of their time on training calls, watching YouTube videos, going to meetings, posting on Facebook, looking in their back office, sorting files, browsing the company’s catalog, cleaning their office, etc.
At the end of the day they honestly did NOTHING to build their business. They just fooled themselves into believing that because they were being busy they were being productive.
Because they didn’t focus on the basics and work smart their business didn’t grow.
It really is that simple. You see, the beauty of our industry is the simplicity. Any idiot can make it complicated, but it takes a genius to keep it simple.
I hope you will keep it simple. I hope you will focus on the basics with a MAJORITY of your time, when you work your business.
To clarify, I am not saying you have to work your business 40 to 80 hours per week. You don’t.
What I am saying is that when you are working in your business focus on the important things that actually grow your business, not busy work.
Learn how to prospect effectively.
Learn how to invite.
Learn how to present.
Learn how to close.
Learn how to follow up.
Learn how to get customers and make sales.
Learn how to train your team.
Do those things consistently and your business will grow. Your cash register will ring. You will actually look forward to getting your bonus check in the mail.
Please keep in mind that very few people have these skills when they first join the industry. These skills have to be developed, and it takes time.
It’s up to you to decide if you are going to take the time and money to master these skills.
As long as you are focusing on the basics and looking for ways to master these fundamentals, you will eventually become a network marketing professional and success story.
In addition, if you keep focusing on busy work, and not the basics, you will continue to be stagnate and frustrated.
What are your thoughts? What do you think about the basics in network marketing?
Saka Olatunji
