#6 Stay off the Sidelines!
Once, while grabbing a quick lunch at a fast food establishment, I struck up a conversation with one of the workers hanging out in the dining area. He revealed he had only 15 minutes until quitting time. He was trying to avoid getting involved in any work, so he could leave on time. Ten minutes later he sauntered over to my table and said: “Man, it’s harder to avoid work, than to get down to it!”
On the flip side of avoiding work, how many of you have observed the over-the-top go-getters who seem to be energy personified? The salesperson who makes 200 or more sales calls before noon. The door to door real estate guru who RUNS from house to house making cold calls. The school teacher who teaches all day, then tutors well into the evening. What makes the difference?
Some call it the “work ethic”. You might call it Diligence, Conscientiousness, or Industriousness. Staying off the sidelines is closely related to being self-motivated or self-directed. This quality is crucial to those in search of network marketing success. The sidelines are reserved for the injured. Or for those with the “timidity disease.” On the sidelines sit other players. Or distractions you might say.
Timidity is of course one sideline distraction. Yet, each of us has our own team of sideline diversions. There’s the laundry calling, other jobs we work, the trash needs to go out, the dog needs to be walked, our friends want us to come out and play, or a family member gets sick.
One of the terrific features of network marketing is that we are entrepreneurs. We are in control of our schedule. And of course one of the worst things about network marketing is that we’re in control of our own schedule. Dealing with sideline diversions will always be a challenge.
Unless it’s a matter of our highest values and principles, we cannot choose to hang out on the sidelines for very long. At least not in the beginning. For another fantastic feature about network marketing—is being paid in direct proportion to one’s results. We have to spend time on the field in order to score results. The sidelines is not a breeding ground for network marketing success
How do you get off the sidelines? In addition to all the above mentioned sideline planers calling for our attention…consider this. You are expected to know about your company, your products or services; the compensation plan; sales skills, listening skills, marketing, prospecting, recruiting, and sponsoring. There are conference calls, emails, audios, videos, webinars, meetings, conventions, and special events. Catalogs, brochures, business cards, websites, and logo branded accessories. You want to learn from your upline, recruit and train your downline, all in addition to full-time or part-time employment, raising a family, eating, exercising, sleeping and relaxing.
In the flurry of excitement we tend to forget, Pareto’s 80-20 rule. Eighty percent of the results come from twenty percent of the activity. What does the top twenty percent include in network marketing?
According to Mark Yarnell, expert network marketer and mentor, the only two activities for which you are paid to do are: 1) Recruit and 2) Retail.
Recruit and Retail…
We like to avoid these, even though network marketing is a people to people business. The reason we avoid the two “R’s” is because of the third “R”, Rejection. As my network marketing mentor, Jack Hamilton Jr. (whose knowledge includes 20 years sales experience in Real Estate) reminds us: “95 to 99% of sales is rejection.” If the rejection is making you think the world is a big old nasty place and you wanna run back to the sidelines, you need to hear the words of…
Network sales pro Jim Rohn! Mr.Rohn’s mentor declared:
“You know , Mr. Rohn, there are only nine or ten real nasty miserable people in the whole world. Now you know they move around a lot and you’re liable to bump into one once in awhile. But when you bump into one you say ‘There’s only 9 more like you—I can handle that—in the whole world.”
STAY OFF THE SIDELINES….The Nitty Gritty How To’s
Network Marketing Success Habits:
1) Don’t say you’ll get in the game tomorrow. There’s a game out there somewhere everyday. Brad Bennett, one of my examples in network sales says: “You chip away at success and wealth with little things DAILY, not by hitting 5 homeruns with 5 big ticket products…trust me.”
2) Avoiding Work Is Hard Work! You may feel you’re out of time, out of get-up-and go, or out of courage to face the music. Let the weak say “I am strong” and get on your playing field. At least if you’ve gotta have some recoup time on the sidelines, don’t lie down.
3) You can watch the game from the sidelines. But those guys on the field— yeah they’re getting crunched and filthy and dog-tired. But they’re having the time of their life. Get creative. Make “uncomfortable” aspects of work fun. I’m not crazy about making sales calls, so I make calls as I walk my dog. This adds a fun aspect—to one of those areas out of my comfort zone. (No one forced us into this work,… right?)
4) Remember the 30-60-100 Principle. Some of your recruits will produce 30 percent, some 60, some 100. You’ll be tempted to get your 30 and 60 percenters to give 100 percent. This activity will wear you out and send you to the sidelines. Let the 30’s be 30’s and the 60’s be 60’s.
5) Start somewhere. When I considered writing my first book, one of my friends got weary of hearing me say I was going to do this. She turned to me, looked me directly in the eye and asked: “Are you afraid to START?”
6) Follow the proven ways of success recommended by your upline; but also stamp your own brand on your business. Be genuine. Be you. So what if you don’t do it perfectly. You can correct, adjust, adapt later. As one sales trainer encourages: “Get out there. Send your flag up the pole and see if anyone salutes.” Just because no one has ever done it this way before doesn’t mean it won’t work. Try new methods (online as well as offline.) If no one ever attempted anything new, we would still be reading by candlelight.
Remember these words of wisdom from my brother Tim, a die-hard bass fisherman. Tim’s not one for the sidelines. One weekend he invited a co-worker to go fishing. The weather forecast called for cold temperatures and 30 percent chance of rain.
His coworker wanted to know: “Do you think we will catch any fish?” My brother’s response: “I don’t know if we we’ll catch any fish or not…
BUT I DO KNOW THIS…
IF WE DON’T GO WE WON’T CATCH ANY FISH.”
When the sidelines tempt you, glare at them with all you’ve got! Then turn your back and run to the field.
Here’s to your Network Marketing Success!
”He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” Proverbs 10:5(NKJ)
Steve and Libba.
Steve Lewey and Libba Narron Lewey ©2010 All rights reserved worldwide
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Boy you told me right, I was distracted so much. Now I know it was excuse to not do what I need to do.
Like your series; Does anyone have ideas of how to stay motivated when the results are so slow in coming?
Hi Alan. It seems your underlying question is when to quit..when to get out of the game. Ask yourself 3 questions. Do you believe in your company? Do you believe in your product? Do you believe in your ability to make a success of it? Beliefs can be changed. Skills can be learned. Therefore look to yourself and ask the hard questions first. Look to your team leaders and ask for ideas and practical help. Many people stop short 5 feet of their goal. On the flip side, if the company and the brand are simply not appealing to your customers and potential market, you might consider researching other companies. In other words change your course, but stay on track with the reasons you got into network marketing in the first place.