Transcript for:
Mastering Network Marketing Success

network marketing pro is proud to present  the national bestseller gopro seven steps   to becoming a network marketing professional read  by its author eric worre i remember the day i was   introduced to network marketing for the first time  it was january 1988 i was 23 years old and selling   real estate for a small company owned by my father  and his friend john joyce i was newly married with   a little boy i was already behind on my bills  and i was scared the year before i had earned   about forty five thousand dollars in real estate  commissions which was a good thing the problem was   that i had spent about sixty thousand dollars and  didn't save any money to pay my taxes which would   be due in just a few months when john joyce came  to my desk that day and said eric i think i have   a way for us to make some extra money i said tell  me more he went on to say a good friend of his had   something to show us and had invited us to his  house so i got in the car with john and my dad   and drove over to check it out when we  arrived he brought us into his living room   popped a tape into his vcr and hit play i sat  and watched this crazy video it was filled with   mansions and limousines and testimonials of  people making fortunes virtually overnight   it was so over the top i just couldn't believe  it to be true so i proceeded to tell everyone i   thought it was a bad idea and i wasn't interested  my natural mental filters just couldn't let it in   then something interesting happened john and my  dad said okay that's too bad but we're going to   do it anyway this had a major impact on me because  the only thing worse than being broken in debt was   the thought of seeing these two go on to make huge  money without me so i changed my attitude pulled   my dad aside and asked him if he'd loan me some  money to sign up thank god he said yes because   deciding to become a network marketing distributor  completely changed my life when i got started i   treated my business like most people do which  to say i didn't treat it like a business at all   i got in made some phone calls and hoped my timing  and positioning was enough for me to get lucky   and make a few bucks and at first it worked i  did make some money and it was very exciting   although i have to disclose something to you for  those first few months my entire strategy was to   quickly call all of my dad's contacts before he  had time to get to them i thought if i called them   told them my dad and john joyce were involved  and got them to a meeting or to watch a video   then if they were interested my dad wouldn't  fight over who got the credit since i was in his   organization i had limited success with this but  as you can imagine it didn't last long so three   months after i got started my network marketing  income dried right up and when it did my positive   attitude completely went away i started to blame  everything and everyone for my lack of success   my upline wasn't giving me enough help the company  didn't provide adequate training i didn't know   enough people no one would respect me because  i was so young i blame the product i blame the   company i blame the economy i blamed everyone but  myself but i had a big problem blaming the world   wasn't helping to pay my bills and i'd walked away  from real estate after that first commission check   it was going to take too long to get a real estate  commission and i had no college degree so getting   a decent paying job was out of the question the  only place i could go to create some cash flow   was back to network marketing so i put my head  down and went to work at first it wasn't easy   in fact in my first three years i rebuilt my  organization seven times i'd build it up and   it would crash and i'd build it up again and  it would crash over and over and over again   after those first three years i was more  than discouraged i'd almost lost hope   then something happened that changed my life  actually it was a combination of two things   it was the night before a company convention  and i was watching a news program on television   they had a guest who was an expert  on a topic i can't recall now   what went through my mind was how does a person  become an expert on that topic the only thing   i could think of is they must have decided to  become experienced learn everything they could   read every book talk to every other person and  learn it so completely that they became an expert   the next day i went to the company convention and  watched superstar after superstar walk across the   stage and then it was like being hit by lightning  it finally clicked in my brain that if i truly   decided to do it i could become an expert at  network marketing i could focus on the skills   i could practice until i became an expert and  no one could stop me up until that moment i was   always looking for an angle i was hoping to get  lucky i was hoping to sponsor that one superstar   who was going to change everything and i was  scared i would lose my chance if it didn't happen   soon in an instant everything changed i realized  i didn't have to worry about getting lucky timing   and positioning were nice but not necessary  for my long-term success i didn't have to   worry about my upline knowing the right people or  anything else all i had to do was become an expert   so i decided that day to change my focus and  develop the skills to become a network marketing   professional it was a day that changed my life  since then my life has been an amazing adventure   network marketing became a career for me i  have complete time freedom i've met the most   amazing people around the world i've been able  to touch and be touched by the lives of hundreds   of thousands of people travel all over the world  contribute to the causes that are important to me   and most importantly become a better person in  the process all of this happened for me and it   can happen for you too in this audio book i'm  going to give you the fundamental principles   that can guide you to becoming a network marketing  professional they've served me well over the   past few decades and i know they'll serve you  just as well welcome to an exciting adventure chapter one network marketing isn't perfect it's  just better do you feel restless do you feel   unsatisfied do you feel there must be a better way  when it comes to your work and the way you make   your living the good news there is a better way  but it's different than what you were taught in   school let me explain as i travel and speak around  the world i like to play an audience participation   game i ask people to help me create the ultimate  business and to tell me specific things they'd   like to have in that business and the things  they'd like to avoid it always makes for a very   interesting list if we were face to face i'd do  the same thing with you now but since we're not   let me summarize what people from over 30  countries have told me while creating what i like   to call the perfect career list people usually  start naming things they don't want no boss   no commute no alarm clock no employees no politics  no compromises no discrimination no educational   requirement and then as people start to use their  imagination in a more positive way they start   to visualize some positive attributes something  positive great product or service unlimited income   residual income enjoy the people you work with  time freedom something meaningful personal growth   lots of perks international contribution to worthy  causes low risk low startup cost economy proof   tax benefits fun now you might add some  attributes of your own but wouldn't you   agree that's a pretty good start imagine being  able to enjoy a career with those attributes   all jobs that i know of fall into one of five  categories blue collar white collar sales   traditional business ownership and investing blue  collar careers here's the wikipedia definition of   blue collar a blue collar worker is a member  of the working class who performs manual labor   my definition is somebody who labors to fix  something make something clean something build   something or service something or someone in  my life i've worked many blue collar jobs and   for anyone who's ever engaged in this line of  work there's a certain satisfaction in the job   well done but here's the big question can blue  collar work deliver on the perfect career list   the obvious answer is no sure it can deliver  on some of the attributes it might have a   great product and low startup cost or any  number of other individual items on the list   but if you really look at it blue collard just  can't get you where you want to be not the perfect   career white collar careers here's the wikipedia  definition of white collar the term white   collar worker refers to a person who performs  professional managerial or administrative work   in contrast with a blue-collar worker whose job  requires manual labor typically white-collar work   is performed in an office or cubicle my definition  is a person who's employed by someone else to do   work other than manual labor or sales many people  choose a white collar careers it's one of the most   socially acceptable of the options available it  has long been viewed as the safe and secure option   recently that's changed the implied contract  that if you're loyal to the company the company   will be loyal to you is long gone i've also  been a white-collared worker in my career   in my experience there are two types of people  who do this type of work achievers and hiders   achievers are the people who want to perform at  a high level they are ambitious motivated and   energetic they are full of ideas and want to move  up the corporate ladder which are great attributes   to have but there is a downside for the achiever  the moment a person decides to be an achiever   they become a target their boss sees them as  threatening to their jobs so they start to   hold them down or take shots at their reputation  their peers see them as a person who will either   embarrass them or keep them from getting a  promotion so they start to do what they can   to undermine their accomplishments so to remain an  achiever and survive in this hostile environment   a person must become good at one thing that  has nothing to do with their productivity   and that's politics they must learn how to  navigate the political world by diminishing   their enemies and strengthening their  relationship with powerful people   in fact some of the most successful people in  the corporate world aren't achievers at all   they're just pure politicians so if you decide  to work in the corporate environment and to be   an achiever you must accept the fact that  you must become a good politician also   now let's talk about the hiders these are the  people who hate politics but still need a job   they learn not to be the ambitious achiever  they don't stand out they don't speak up in   meetings they don't bring new ideas they hide  they keep their heads down and do as they're told   they do just enough so they aren't talked  about negatively they survive and this has   worked for decades but in the new economy  it's becoming much more difficult to hide   and people are running out of time so back to  our perfect career list can a white-collar job   deliver on the list again the clear answer  is no certainly in not very many areas   sales some people choose to get away from being an  employee and get involved in a sales career this   is certainly more adventurous because typically  sales people are paid on their production   instead of by the hour i've known thousands  of sales people there's a common theme i've   noticed over the course of my career the typical  sales person will have a period of time where   everything goes perfectly everything they touch  turns to gold and they make some really good money   as soon as that happens they almost always set  their lifestyle to that level of income they   buy a new house get new cars put their kids in  better schools purchase a vacation home that works   everything's great for a while and then  something changes the company changes the   compensation plan their territory gets reduced a  competitor shows up they lose their best customer   the economy goes into recession new technology  makes their offer less valuable or government   regulations change their industry these are just  a few examples there are hundreds more reasons   why the salesperson's world could and probably  will get more complicated when that happens   with the big lifestyle they've developed now  40 hours a week isn't enough to pay the bills   so they go to 50 hours a week and then 60 and  then 70 and then their life gets very small   yes they have the stuff but they don't have  the time to enjoy it the other challenge for   the sales career is no matter how a person  does they still start at zero the next day   it can be tiring to live under that kind  of pressure over a long period of time   can a sales career pay the bills sure but can it  deliver on the perfect career we described earlier   again the answer is no traditional business  ownership some people opt for the big dream   building their own business where they're the  boss and they call the shots it's an exciting idea   isn't it here's the reality for most people step  one they use their life savings take on new debt   and many times borrow money from friends and  family to get started step two they take on   more debt in the form of leases and personal  guarantees in just about every direction   step three now instead of focusing on what  they're good at let's say they were great at   sales and decided to start their own business  they have to be all things to all people they   act as attorney for legal matters accountant for  financial matters babysitter for employee matters   negotiator for purchasing matters and collection  agency for accounts receivable matters   they even get to take out the garbage they're  doing everything but selling which is what   they were good at in the first place step four  they struggle instead of owning the business   the business owns them they're the first person  to work and the last person to leave and after   everyone else gets paid they might be able to  take home enough money to pay their own bills   let alone reduce the debt they incurred to start  the business in the first place step five they   succeed or they fail they either hit a point  down the road where the business is successful   or they fail many times filing for bankruptcy  and falling back into a corporate or sales job   and even if they are successful that usually  means a lifetime of long hours and stress sounds   romantic doesn't it if you haven't started your  own business before ask friends who have if this   description isn't accurate most people who start  their own traditional business aren't worried   about getting a return on their investment  they just want a return of their investment   it's pretty clear that traditional business  ownership can't provide the perfect career   as we've described it the investor the last  category of ways to earn a living in the world   today is to be an investor and what do you need to  become an investor money right if you don't have   a lot of money it's going to be very difficult to  earn a living from the return on your investments   especially if you try to be conservative to reduce  the risk of loss but let's say you do what's the   next thing you need in order to be a successful  investor you need to have incredible knowledge and   skill i know more people than i could count who  were skillful real estate investors over the years   but when things radically changed in the real  estate market their skill couldn't help them   they lost big would you like to invest in  someone's traditional small business good   luck in most cases you won't be an investor you're  more likely to be a philanthropist how about the   stock market people do great there don't they  a few do at least from time to time but i know   more people who've lost than have won especially  in the past decade it's very difficult to have   guaranteed returns when you're not in control and  trust me as an investor you are not in control   anything can happen and it can happen overnight  let me tell you a story to illustrate that point   in late 2001 i was living large i'd sold a company  i co-founded and was working as a very highly paid   consultant for my part of the sale i received  approximately 170 000 shares of stock in the   new company it was publicly traded on the new  york stock exchange and selling for about forty   four dollars a share which meant the value of my  stock was around seven point five million dollars   i had big income and a great portfolio life  was good i used part of the stock to secure a   home construction loan of about two million  dollars for a dream house i was building   as for the rest i didn't diversify because i knew  the company was in great shape with a good product   and an amazing sales force then something out of  my control happened overnight the stock went to   thirty 37 a share because a group of investors  had targeted the company and shorted the stock   in other words the lower the stock price went the  more money they'd make i thought it was ridiculous   because the company was doing great so i bought  some more shares at 37 dollars using my existing   shares as collateral knowing the price would go  back up it went to thirty three dollars i bought   more shares it went to twenty seven dollars  i started getting margin calls which meant   if i didn't send them money they're gonna  start selling my shares to cover the losses   i didn't have it to send the stock continued to  go down it went all the way to ten dollars a share   and my 7.5 million was gone poof all in less  than 90 days now the stock eventually came back   and the company was taken private for 65 dollars  a share but i wasn't there to capitalize on it i   was wiped out could i have been smarter sure did i  make mistakes absolutely but here's the lesson if   you're going to be an investor you have to accept  that things will be taken out of your control   from time to time and when that happens it can be  very expensive so back to our perfect career list   can being an investor deliver on that list i don't  think so we've talked about blue collar work white   collar work sales traditional business ownership  and investing and none of them can deliver on our   perfect career list so is the perfect career even  possible the answer is yes but to get there you   need to understand that everything is changing  the old models of compensation are dead or dying   and we are going through the biggest  economic shift in any of our lifetimes   the new economy the world as you know it has  changed for the people who don't recognize that   fact it will be the worst of times for the  people who do it will be the best of times   over the last hundred years an  interesting phenomenon occurred   the rise of the corporation became the standard  in society the safe and respected place for people   to exist in the world was as an employee step one  go to school and learn how to be an employee step   two find a company that will employ you step  three work for that company for forty years   step four retire in recent decades the promise  of being rewarded by the company for your loyalty   and hard work has been exposed as a myth people  began to realize the loyalty they were giving   to their company was not being given in return so  a different process evolved step one go to school   to learn to be an employee step two find a company  that will employ you step three switch companies   for various political or economic reasons every  three to five years over the course of your career   step four find that you can't retire  comfortably after 40 years so you keep working   and now we're going through the biggest shift  in any of our lifetimes for a century companies   have paid people by the hour by the week or  by the year that's changing on a global level   the world is moving towards a performance economy  and it's already happening here's what that means   in the future you're only going to be paid  for performance you won't be paid for your   time anymore servers in the food industry already  live in this model they get a very low hourly wage   required by law and they make their living  through tips based upon their performance   if you can imagine the same model being applied to  virtually every job in the world you'll see what's   coming the person cleaning the rooms in a hotel  won't be paid by the hour anymore they'll be paid   by the room for office workers here's an example  a person has a sixty thousand dollar annual salary   step one the company will lower that  salary to something like fifty thousand   because with today's marketplace there's other  people who will take the job for a lower amount   step two they'll reduce their base salary  to something like twenty thousand dollars   a year step three they'll tell that person that  they can get an additional 30 000 over the year   if they hit certain performance  benchmarks on a monthly basis   in other words if they hit their numbers they can  make an additional 2500 a month now the pressure's   on and the company's loving it if you don't  hit your numbers they can save even more money   if you do hit your numbers guess what's in your  future they're going to raise your requirements   unless you are extremely specialized this will  happen to you if it hasn't already count on it   and it will happen in every single profession  worldwide the evolution has begun why is this   happening one it's a better model for the company  they'll get better results with less expense two   the new economy needs fewer people so the company  has more people competing for fewer and fewer jobs   let me explain why the new economy needs fewer  people the exponential rise of technology has   changed everything over a hundred years ago ninety  percent of the population worked in agriculture   today because of dramatic efficiencies  it's less than one percent   and the farming jobs are gone remember customer  service call centers where you talk to people   today you talk to a machine and those jobs are  gone remember when companies had a massive amount   of sales people now people order online and those  sales jobs are gone remember blockbuster video on   all of its employees now people watch movies  on their handheld or tablet devices and those   jobs are gone i love books but go to your local  bookstore while you can there'll be history soon   and so will the jobs provided by those stores i  could go on and on through virtually every work   category in the world technology and efficiency  are eliminating jobs every single day and there's   nothing we can do to stop it in fact it's only  going to accelerate if you're sitting there   waiting for the economy to bounce back and for  jobs to return don't they aren't coming back just   like the children of farmers saw the handwriting  on the wall and left farming for new vocations   the same thing is happening for people working in  old economy jobs to survive they'll need to open   their eyes to this reality and find something  new network marketing is better the best way i   know to not only survive but to thrive in the new  economy is network marketing there are important   products and services in the world today that  need to be promoted to the people who need them   consumers still need to be educated companies have  choices they can dive into the ever fragmented   world of advertising to get the word out they can  hire a large and expensive sales force to sell   their products or services or they can utilize  network marketing to tell their story to the   world more and more companies will choose to use  network marketing because it fits the new economy   they can provide all the corporate support and  paid distributors on a purely performance basis   to promote their products it's extremely  efficient because in the new economy   word of mouth advertising continues to work  better than any other form of promotion the   company can just take the money they would have  spent on advertising a promotion and pay it to   their distributors to spread the word what that  means for you as an entrepreneur is that you   can receive all the benefits of traditional  business ownership without the typical risks   and there will be no cap on your income because  network marketing companies want you to make as   much as possible if you're going to be paid  for performance anyway why live with the cap   the catch to network marketing this all sounds  great and it is but there's a catch that most   people won't tell you here it is you must accept  a temporary loss of social esteem from ignorant   people that means for a while people still living  in and trying to function in the old system will   think less of you they won't understand they'll  think you're crazy for being involved in network   marketing and actually the word accept isn't  completely accurate you need to do more than that   you need to embrace the temporary loss  of social esteem from ignorant people you   are seeing the future before it becomes apparent  to everyone else you are the smart one you are   the person taking action to live a better life  there's a reason why people will think less of   you and it's not just because they're stuck  in the old system let me see if i can help   you better understand this because if you decide  to make network marketing your profession it's   important to know most people have either joined a  network marketing company or know someone who has   this is what goes through the mind of virtually  every person who decides to get involved   hmm i can think of five or six people who might  do this too my sister would be great my friend   loves this kind of thing i know this other person  who'd be amazing okay i'll join in other words   they aren't joining a profession they're just  hoping to get lucky sign up a few people to cover   their own startup costs and sit back and wait for  the money to roll in the allure of being paid for   someone else's efforts is powerful but often badly  misunderstood they haven't started a real business   they just purchased a glorified lottery ticket  imagine a lottery ticket with six scratch-off   spots those spots represent each of the people  the new person thinks will certainly join   they approach those people and try to get them  to join and because of their lack of skill most   of them end up with nothing just like the lottery  ticket this becomes just another lost opportunity   and since they've acted in unskilled ignorance  they may have damaged some friendships as well   so they rip up the ticket and instead  of taking responsibility for not really   starting their business they blame network  marketing and make sure to tell the world   look i've been there i've done it i talked to  every person i know and network marketing just   doesn't work save your money that's what you're  dealing with if you choose this as a profession   the opinions of ignorant people who think they've  done it right and it doesn't work if that's going   to be too hard to handle then network marketing  isn't for you but if you can embrace it the world   is yours the people who embrace this get paid  big money companies will pay unlimited amounts   to people who can help blind people see who  can educate the ignorant and who can build a   community of like-minded people some people like  to say perception is reality i hate that saying   all great leaders in the world have ignored  it for centuries what if nelson mandela had   said perception is reality what if martin  luther king jr had said perception is reality   what if steve jobs had said perception is  reality the great leaders of the world said   reality is reality and i'm going to do everything  possible to help people understand that fact   the truth is network marketing isn't  perfect it's just better and that's reality   chapter two if you're going to be involved in  network marketing decide to be a professional   decide to go pro there are three categories of  people in network marketing i've seen all of   them and i've been all of them they are the  posers the amateurs and the professionals   posers posers treat this profession as a lottery  ticket they're hoping to hit it big with as little   effort as possible when i first started out i was  a poser hoping to ride on my dad and his partner's   coattails luckily for me i got some results and  that kept me going at least in the short term   but i think you can agree with me that  remaining in the poser category is a bad idea   within about 90 days i moved out of that  category and became an amateur amateurs amateurs   focus on different things one of the things i  continued to focus on as an amateur was luck   i was really hoping to get lucky and sign that  monster distributor who was going to make me rich   we've all heard the stories of some person who had  their lives completely changed by one sign up in   reality even if some of those stories are true  it really doesn't serve our profession very well   because it makes people spend their time hoping  for that big hit the second thing i focused on as   an amateur was timing i was always worried about  timing did i get in early enough could i be the   youngest top person in my company how many other  leaders were already in my local market were there   too many to compete against were there enough  to get true momentum how was the company was it   too big did i miss the growth curve was it too  small i was obsessed with the idea of timing   the third thing i focused on as an amateur was  positioning was i in the right organization did   other people have a better position than me maybe  i didn't have the right up line would i do better   somewhere else and the fourth thing i focused on  as an amateur was shortcuts i was always looking   for an angle any gimmick that came down the  road i was up for it newspaper advertising okay   help wanted signs by the side of the road let's  do it passing out flyers at the mall i'm in going   door to door let's try it the internet didn't  exist when i was an amateur just imagine how crazy   i would have been over all the internet tactics i  could have used to distract myself what that meant   was every time i heard of some shiny new approach  being trained by anyone in the world i was digging   into it to try to find the shortcut and then i  finally made the decision to go pro wikipedia's   definition of a professional is a person who  is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks   and to complete them for a fee my definition of a  network marketing professional is a person who is   an expert at the skills required to build a large  and successful network marketing organization   there is a phrase in our profession that does more  harm than good it says ignorance on fire is better   than knowledge on ice the point of this phrase  is that it's better to be excited and ignorant   than it is to be apathetic and smart that may be  true but why do we have to choose one or the other   let me give you an example let's say you're in  need of an operation at the hospital you meet   your doctor he comes in and says i'm very  excited to conduct your operation i'm so   passionate about it i could hardly sleep no  one on earth wants to help you more than i do   you say wow thanks doctor how long have  you been doing these type of operations   and he says well i've never had any schooling on  this particular operation and i've never practiced   and i've never done one but it doesn't matter  because i'm so passionate how you gonna feel   enthusiasm is great but eventually you  have to marry that passion with skill   professional athletes will devote endless hours  to preparing for competition but when they join   network marketing they won't give one day's worth  of effort to learning our skills doctors will   devote a decade of their lives at huge financial  expense to become physicians but when they join   network marketing they won't give a month's study  and practice to becoming a network marketing pro   in his book outliers malcolm gladwell's research  showed it takes approximately ten thousand hours   of practice to reach the expert level at anything  with four hours a day of practice that adds up to   about seven years that formula applies to network  marketing as well it's going to take about seven   years for you to become world class the good  news is the profession is very forgiving and   you can earn a lot of money while you're becoming  an expert the trick is not to get complacent don't   stop learning while you're earning when i made  the decision to go pro everything changed for me   i stopped focusing on luck timing positioning and  shortcuts i even stopped focusing on the money my   world changed when i started focusing on the  skills and made the commitment to practice   practice practice until i mastered them another  thing happened when i decided to go pro all of a   sudden my group started to grow it was like people  could sense my change of focus and my commitment   to excellence and they wanted to be part of it  think about a time in your life when you were   around a person committed to excellence it might  have been a teacher a coach a boss or a friend   how did it make you feel it was inspiring right  you'll find you will be an inspiration to others   when you make this important shift bottom line  if you're going to be involved in this great   profession decide to do it right and treat it like  a profession if you go pro this business is great   if you stay a poser or an amateur you're going  to be miserable and by now you've noticed i use   the word profession a lot i do that on purpose  network marketing is more than just a project   it's not an industry it's a profession if you  do it right it's truly a career choice it can   take you out of working in a job that doesn't make  you happy to a place of total freedom that's why   i call my website networkmarketingpro.com here's  what i tell people every day ladies and gentlemen   my wish for you is that you decide to become a  network marketing professional that you decide   to go pro because it is a stone cold fact that we  have a better way now let's go tell the world when   the site launched on march 11 2009 very few people  called themselves network marketing professionals   that's no longer the case millions of people have  changed the way they think about our business   and i'm proud of that fact i look forward to  the day when it's common for people to hear   i'm a doctor but i'm also a network marketing  professional i work in construction but i'm also   a network marketing professional i'm an athlete  but i'm also a network marketing professional   the more people hear those words the more  the world will be ready for a better way chapter 3 like any profession you'll need to learn  some skills i hope by now i've been successful at   convincing you that network marketing is a better  way i hope i've also gotten the point across if   you're going to be involved it's best to become  a professional the next step is recognizing that   you'll need to learn some skills but before we  get to those skills let me give you some good news   unlike most professions you're not going  to need a lot of money for your education   you won't have to take out student loans and  you can actually earn while you're learning   in addition this profession isn't biased in fact  it's the most equal opportunity in the world   your background experience contacts age race or  gender aren't going to be factors in your ability   to learn the skills to go pro and finally this  isn't complicated the skills necessary to grow   a large and successful business are extremely  learnable and you're going to have a surprising   number of people financially motivated to help  you learn them there are three primary elements   to your network marketing business first you  have the company's products if some people are   successful in marketing those products and  you're not it isn't the product's fault in   other words everyone in your company has  the same products to offer to the public   second you have the company's compensation  plan if some people are making a lot of money   and you're not it isn't the compensation plan's  fault there isn't one plan for men and one for   women there isn't one plan for different age  groups or educational backgrounds or for the   color of your skin the compensation plan is the  same for everyone the third element is the most   important and that element is you you are really  the only variable everyone has the same product   and the same compensation plan but you're going to  be the difference between success and failure that   means right here and right now you need to take  responsibility for your network marketing business   decide today never to blame anyone or  anything else for your lack of results   in fact in network marketing there's something  of an epidemic going on people just love to   blame their upline the people above them  in the structure for all of their problems   if my upline did this for me or did that for me  everything would be better if you're committed to   building a large and successful organization  i'd encourage you to do something important   i'd like you to say goodbye to your upline call  them up and say something like i want to thank   you for this opportunity i appreciate it getting  into business for myself was important and i   appreciate you introducing me to a company that  you believe in and that i now believe in as well   but from now on when it comes to building my  business i'm gonna use you as a resource but   never as an excuse i may call on you from time to  time if you're available that's great if you're   not that's okay too i'm gonna build my business  and i understand one thing it begins and ends   with me everything changes when you take full  responsibility for your network marketing career   would it surprise you to know that there are only  seven fundamental skills necessary to build a huge   business in network marketing seven not seventy  each one's fairly basic but it always amazes me   how little effort people put into learning them if  a college course were offered on network marketing   it would be one of the easiest classes to take  it's not rocket science but you'll be happy to   know it's one of the highest paid skill sets in  the world let's explore each of them together   chapter four skill number one finding prospects   when people look at network marketing one of their  big questions is do i know anybody they believe if   they know a lot of people they can have lots of  success and if they don't know a lot of people   they don't have a chance it sounds logical but  it's just not true as i mentioned in chapter two   there are three kinds of people in network  marketing posers amateurs and professionals   when it comes to finding prospects the posers will  make a mental list of three or four or five people   they hope will join their business and their  entire future is based upon the response of those   few people if they're lucky enough to get one  of them they can extend the life of their career   for a short time they might even make  another mental list of three or four people   hopefully they'll eventually decide to stop  being a poser and upgrade to the amateur ranks   would it surprise you to know that  approximately eighty percent of all the   people who join network marketing approach  the task of building a business as posers   it's true eight out of ten distributors first  approach their business with the poser mentality   they make a small mental list and see what happens  they never set out to develop the necessary skills   your job is to make sure you're not one  of them and to help your team do the same   educate people help them understand how powerful  this opportunity can be if they treat it with   respect for the posers their only real chance  is luck and that luck had better happen fast   the second group is the amateurs instead of a  small mental list these people make a written   list which is a step in the right direction let's  say they make a list of 100 prospects they charge   out there with excitement but not a lot of skill  they begin prospecting and their list begins to   diminish as it grows smaller and smaller their  anxiety grows higher and higher their biggest   fear is running out of people to talk to i know  that was my biggest fear in my early twenties my   list wasn't anything to brag about as i mentioned  before i tried to use my parents contacts at the   beginning and it didn't take long for me to run  out of names soon everyone in my world knew what   i was doing and had either said yes or no it was  scary i felt like if i didn't find some great   people from my list and find them soon i was going  to fail in this business it never occurred to me   that finding quality people to prospect was a  skill up until this point in my career i always   viewed the list as the ticket to wealth if you  had a good list you'd succeed and if you had a   bad one you either had to get lucky or you'd fail  when i came to my defining moment and committed to   become a professional i began to study the people  who'd built large and successful organizations   i found that the professionals approached finding  people to talk to as one of their core skills it   was part of their job to find new people they  weren't interested in luck they weren't worried   about running out of people they developed  the skill to make sure that never happened the   professionals started with a written list but then  they made the focused commitment to never stop   adding to the list they created something called  an active candidate list and i'm going to show you   how to do the same thing one of the people who  taught me how to do this well was harvey mckay   author of the huge bestselling book how to  swim with the sharks without being eaten alive   harvey is a good friend and he's also  one of the best networkers in the world   i once asked him how he built such a  large and influential list of friends   he told me at the age of 18 his father sat him  down and said harvey starting today and for the   rest of your life i want you to take every person  you meet get their contact information and find a   creative way to stay in touch he's done that for  over 60 years and today his list of friends totals   more than twelve thousand people and these just  aren't social media friends they're real friends   and i consider myself fortunate to be one of  them if you want to master this skill follow   these four simple steps step one make  your list as comprehensive as possible   include every person you can think of every person  it doesn't matter if you think they are a prospect   or not your database will be one of your most  important assets everyone goes on the list if   they're negative put them on your list if you hate  them put them on your list if they're your best   friend put them on your list if they said i'll  never be involved in network marketing put them on   your list if they're 98 years old put them on your  list if they're 18 years old put them on your list   it's important to do this because as you empty  your mind out on paper it will make more room   for new context to find room in there when you  write down your nephew you begin to think about   the circle of people around your nephew all of  these connections will become apparent to you   as you make your list more and more comprehensive  think about everything every organization you've   ever been involved in every group you've ever  been a part of everything you've ever done if   you do this right it'll end up being hundreds  and hundreds and maybe even thousands of people   you're not required to prospect everyone on your  list that's up to you but it's extremely important   to do the work necessary to truly capture your  network on paper step two have you heard of the   concept that we're all only six contacts away  from any person in the world six degrees of   separation i'm not sure if that's a myth or if  it's true but i believe in the concept so step   two is looking at your list and thinking about the  people they know the second degree of separation   chances are you'll know most of them also think  about members of your family who do they know add   them to your list think about your friends who  do they know add them to your list think about   all the relationships in your life who do they  know add them to your list don't worry about   what you're going to do with this list yet we'll  talk about that a bit later just keep building it   step three constantly expand your list this  is why the professionals call this an active   candidate list it never stops growing the pros  have a goal to add at least two people to their   list every single day they may not prospect them  but as harvey mckay's father said they go on the   list and you should find a creative way to stay  in touch harvey's book dig your well before you're   thirsty deals with this concept if you think about  this as a core skill you realize it isn't very   hard you come into contact with people every day  just add them to your list you meet people through   online social media add them to your list you do  business with new people add them to your list   my friend jordan adler is the author of beach  money he's also a seven figure a year earner in   network marketing he's a master at step three  he just lives his life and is always making   new friends and if you look at his business  almost all of the people he's recruited into   his huge organization are people he didn't know  before he started his network marketing business   he's a pro professionals develop a higher  level of awareness they pay attention to   the world they know they'll be introduced to  new people all the time posers and amateurs   don't even notice they just go through their  day saying what people i don't see any people   how hard would it be to raise your awareness  and add two new people a day to your list   think about it if you did that six days a  week that is over 600 new people a year do   that for five years and it's over three thousand  people can you see why professionals don't worry   about running out of people to talk to please  understand i'm not saying you should assault   these people with your pitch the moment you're  introduced some people in network marketing make   that mistake and it's not good just add them  to your list make friends develop a connection   and when the time is right you can help  them understand what you have to offer   step four network on purpose professionals network  on purpose it's hard to meet new people if you're   hiding from the world get out there have some  fun join a new gym have fun with a new hobby   volunteer for a cause that's important to you find  places and organizations where you can meet new chapter five skill number two inviting prospects  to understand your product or opportunity once you've identified your prospects the next  skill is learning how to properly invite them   to find out more about your product or opportunity  this is by far the most critical skill to develop   i call it the gateway skill for network  marketing if you aren't successful in   getting anybody to take a look then we can  guess what your future will look like in mlm   most people think you must start off with a great  reputation and have a lot of influence with others   for them to take a look at your opportunity  it's just not true when i first started in 1988   i had no reputation and no influence i barely  escaped high school attended one semester of   community college before dropping out and had  a total of 18 jobs all before the age of 23.   do you think i had a lot of respect in the  community i had zero and since i was a five   to ten dollar an hour person all of my friends  were the same so they weren't much help most of   them were still living with their parents but i  was desperate and i was scrappy in the beginning   i made up in numbers what i lacked in skill i  called everyone i knew and i gave them my pitch   a few of them joined most didn't i placed ads in  the local newspaper i gave all of the people who   responded my pitch from all of that activity a few  joined most didn't i tried everything i was like a   hunter with the goal of bagging an elephant  i went around with my gun slash opportunity   in my hand and shot at everything that moved  i didn't really care about relationships all   i cared about was getting the new recruit my  attitude was some will some won't so what next   but because i was a hunter everyone around me felt  hunted and they started to avoid me and it wasn't   fun even worse the people i did get to join my  business tried to do the same thing i was doing   failed and then quit after three or four years  of frustration i came to my defining moment   and started studying successful people in mlm  to see what they did what i found surprised me   they weren't hunters they were more like farmers  they built relationships they built friendships   they learned how to build trust with the people  they met and were able to skillfully transfer   the belief they had about their products and  opportunity their goal wasn't to immediately   recruit their prospects their initial objective  was to educate their prospects on what they   had to offer and then let those prospects  decide if it was something they wanted to do   this was a huge switch in strategy for me and  i began to look at things differently i put   myself in the prospect's shoes and thought about  what would be attractive to me and alternatively   what would cause me to put up my defenses i  realized why the pros had such great results   instead of acting like sharks they were more like  coaches or consultants they built relationships   and then offered common sense solutions to  people's problems who wouldn't like that the   other thing i noticed with the professionals is  they didn't pitch their product or opportunity   instead when the timing was appropriate they just  invited people to do one of two things based upon   the individual prospect situation the first thing  they did was invite people to attend some sort of   event such as a one-on-one or two-on-one  meeting with another member of their team   or a three-way phone call conversation a small  group presentation in their home an online   webinar local hotel meeting or some larger company  event or convention professionals understand that   personal interaction is a critical component when  it comes to building trust and transferring belief   so they try to connect people as much as possible  the second thing they did was invite people to   review some sort of tool i'm a big believer  in using tools to help educate a prospect   tools take many forms there are cds dvds magazines  brochures websites and online presentations   with some companies you can even let people  sample the product and treat that as a tool   there's no question that technology continues to  evolve offering more and more convenient ways to   help educate prospects but i have to interject  a personal opinion based upon experience   while technology allows us to get  people quality information quickly   there's nothing like a physical tool in a  world of bits and bytes and in a network   marketing world where it's important to build  trust a physical tool makes it real of the two   methods used to help educate the prospect events  are the most effective there are lots of reasons   there's a physical interaction for meeting  with people and that helps build trust   there's the important element of social proof  it's valuable for the prospect to see that there's   other people actively involved and find out what  those people are like there's education on the   product and the financial opportunity they get to  see firsthand the kind of support that's involved   and they realize they won't have to do everything  by themselves in most cases there's an excitement   and urgency at these events and they get to hear  stories of how things are going for other people   those are some of the benefits the only downside  to events is they can be difficult to schedule and   confirm especially for a brand new person if you  don't have the skills it's fairly common to invite   20 people and have one or two show up and that  can be very discouraging for building a large and   duplicating organization i've found that a tool is  a better first step remember our goal is education   and understanding we want people to know what we  have and understand how it can benefit their lives   a tool is a great way for people to  become educated and hopefully excited   in the middle of their busy lives they might not  have time to drive across town to meet with you   but they can listen to a cd in their car or watch  a short dvd read a magazine or watch an online   presentation if you were to look back at my career  you'd see the tools changed everything for me   in 1990 my company came out with a video that was  dynamic and exciting even though it was wildly   expensive at fifteen dollars each back then it  was worth it because when you learned how to   invite people to watch that video the results were  dramatic everyone in the company became focused on   a daily method of operation that centered around  inviting people to watch our video we allowed no   distractions our entire culture revolved around  this strategy and our growth went through the roof   events were still very important but they were  a second step after a person watched our video   by adopting this new approach my  organization finally broke out   i was able to enjoy the experience of having a  group that grew with or without me it was more   fun that i can describe my group grew from a few  dozen to a few hundred and then a few thousand   all i did was learn how to successfully invite  people to watch a video follow it up with an   invitation to an event and teach everyone else to  do the same thing the second career breakthrough   took the form of an audio cassette yes i said  cassette this was 1992 and that's all we had   the company was launching something new and  exciting and this time i personally recorded   an audio that explained the opportunity in  detail we sold it for 50 cents a piece which   covered our cost and in less than one year that  little audio cassette sold over a million copies   we taught people how to invite prospects to take  that cassette put it in their car and listen to it   right away the results were amazing we trained  people to get a hundred cassettes at first   get them out to everyone they knew and then had  them focus on getting out two a day after that   using that simple system my income grew to almost  a million dollars a year different companies use   different tools and event strategies to grow their  business some use home parties some use online   presentations some use one-on-ones with magazines  and flip charts find what's working best in your   particular company develop your daily method  of operation and then train your people how to   effectively do the same and invite their prospects  to plug in as a professional you're going to   be inviting your prospects to review a tool or  attend an event here's what you're not going to   be doing you're not going to be pitching people  and trying to dazzle the world with your wisdom   that approach will feed your ego but steal from  your bank account let me give you my formula for   financial independence in network marketing  your ability to get a large group of people   to consistently do a few simple things over  an extended period of time it was this formula   that helped me break out of network marketing  mediocrity and it will help you do the same   for years i focused and depended on my ability to  persuade other people to join me then i graduated   to finding a few key leaders i could train to do  what i was doing and finally i learned the formula   i just gave you and began to focus on getting  a large group of people to consistently do just   a few simple things and to keep doing them when  that happened everything changed for the better   those are the fundamentals let's take a  moment to talk about the emotions of inviting   there are four basic rules rule number one you  must emotionally detach yourself from the outcome   this is extremely important remember our  initial goal is education and understanding   it's not getting a new customer or  signing a new distributor in other words   if you disconnect your emotions from that outcome  and just focus on education and understanding   everything gets very simple this sounds easy  but it's difficult to do all of us come into   this business with the hope of recruiting some  great people it's hard to disconnect from those   expectations but you need to remember we're not  hunters we're not sharks our job is to educate   people and help them understand what we have to  offer we act as consultants offering suggestions   on how people can live a better life if you  focus on getting a customer or a new distributor   you'll constantly be disappointed and you'll find  your prospects running away from you if you focus   on education and understanding you'll have fun  and your prospects will enjoy the experience   rule number two be yourself so many people become  a different person when they start inviting   this makes everyone uncomfortable be yourself just  focus on being your best self rule number three   bring some passion enthusiasm is contagious it's  okay to get a little bit fired up get focused   listen to some music that inspires you smile when  you're on the phone i assure you your positive   emotion will translate into better results  rule number four have a strong posture this   was a big one for me at first i was so insecure  i didn't think anyone would take me seriously   but as i watched the professionals i noticed  their posture they were bold they were confident   they were strong so i decided to be bold  as well i stopped apologizing all the time   instead of saying yes i know i've had a lot of  jobs so far in my life but i'm hoping this will   be the change i've been looking for i started  saying guess what i'm sick and tired of the life   i've led up until this point and i've decided to  take charge i wouldn't bet against me because i'm   serious you feel the difference be yourself but be  a bolder self be yourself but be a stronger self   be yourself but be a more confident self at least  when you're inviting i found i could do that for   short periods of time at the beginning and just  like building a new muscle i could eventually do   it longer and longer until it became part of me  so now that we set the stage let's go through the   invitation formula this formula is designed to be  used over the phone or face to face it's not to be   used with texting email or any other communication  tool just on the phone or face to face this can   work with your warm market prospects someone  you know or cold market prospects someone you   meet while living your life i'll give you examples  for both there are eight steps to a professional   invitation that might sound complicated but with a  little practice you'll find it's an easy skill to   master step one be in a hurry step two compliment  the prospect step three make the invitation   step four if i would you step five  confirmation number one get the time commitment   step six confirmation number two confirm the  time commitment step seven confirmation number   three schedule the next call and step eight  get off the phone step one be in a hurry this   is a psychological issue people are always more  attracted to a person who has things going on if   you start every call or face-to-face conversation  giving the impression that you're in a hurry   you'll find your invitations will be shorter  there will be fewer questions less resistance   and people will be more respectful of you and your  time examples for warm market prospects i don't   have a lot of time to talk but it was really  important i reach you i have a million things   going on but i'm glad i caught you i'm running out  the door but i needed to talk to you real quick   examples for cold market prospects now isn't the  time to get into this and i have to go but i have   to run but get the message set the tone with some  urgency as for the examples i'm sharing with you   don't worry too much about the exact words just  focus on the concept and use your own words let   people know you're busy you've got a lot going  on and your time is short but it was important   for you to talk to them real quick and do it with  some passion in your voice step 2 compliment the   prospect this is critical the sincere compliment  and it must be sincere opens the door to real   communication and will make the prospect much  more agreeable about hearing what you have to say   examples for warm market prospects you've been  very successful and i've always respected the way   you've done business you've always been supportive  of me and i appreciate that so much great to use   with family and close friends you have an amazing  mind for business and can see things other people   don't see for as long as i've known you i  thought you were the best at what you do   examples for cold market prospects you've given  me some of the best service i've ever received   you're super sharp can i ask what you do  for a living you've made this a fantastic   experience the key to the compliment is it must  be sincere find something you can honestly use   to complement your prospect and use it this simple  step will literally double your invitation results   when you start with urgency and a compliment  it becomes very difficult for a person to react   negatively to your invitation people don't hear  compliments very often it feels good you'll find   your prospects will become very receptive  if you study the pros you'll find they are   constantly putting people in a good mood through  their honest and sincere compliments it helps   to build rapport it helps to open people's minds  and mostly it helps achieve our goal of education   and understanding step 3 make the invitation  this is a situation where one size does not   fit all there are three kinds of invitation  approaches for the network marketing professional   the direct approach this is used when you're  inviting people to learn more about an opportunity   for them most people use a direct approach  for all of their prospects it usually goes   something like this i found a way for you to get  rich let me tell you all about it blah blah blah   i understand the passion but really who's going  to get excited about that unless they're getting   a call from a millionaire that doesn't mean  the direct approach doesn't work it does   it has an important place in your invitation  process but it should be reserved for people   who know and respect you or for people that  you know are searching for something better   examples for more market prospects when you told  me you hated your job needed more money wanted   to find a new house etc were you serious you were  just kidding around they'll almost always tell you   they were serious great i think i found a way for  you to get it solve the problem make that happen   this is for situations where you know an area  of their dissatisfaction need or desire i think   i found a way for us to really boost our cash  flow when i thought of people who can make an   absolute fortune with the business i found i  thought of you are you still looking for a job   or a different job i found a way for both of us  to start a great business without all the risks   let me ask you a question off the record if  there was a business you could start working   part-time from your home that could replace  your full-time income would that interest you   examples for cold market prospects have you ever  thought of diversifying your income do you keep   your career options open do you plan on doing what  you're doing right now for the rest of your career   you can follow these cold market scripts  or any variations with the following   i have something that might interest you  now is not the time to get into it but   the indirect approach this is another powerful  tool to help people get past their initial   resistance and educate them on what you have to  offer the indirect approach is about asking the   prospect for help input or guidance i use this  approach extensively and with great success when   i first started out because of my lack of  credibility at age 23 i couldn't get much   success with a direct approach so i learned to  play myself down and play up to the prospect's   ego it worked incredibly well and it still works  today examples for warm market prospects i've   just started a new business and i'm really nervous  before i get going i need to practice on someone   friendly would you mind if i practiced on you this  is a great approach for family and close friends   i found a business i'm really excited about but  what do i know you have so much experience would   you look at it for me if i made it easy on you and  let me know if you think i'm making the right move   a friend told me the best thing i could  do when starting a business is to have   people i respect take a look at it and give  me some guidance would you be willing to do   that for me if i made it simple examples  for cold market prospects when you meet   someone from another city state or country and  if your company does business there you can say   my company is expanding in your area would you  do me a favor and take a look at it and let me   know if you think it would work where you live  when you meet someone who might provide good   input on your product you can say i've started  a business with a product i think makes a lot of   sense but i'd like to get your input would you be  willing to check it out and give me your opinion   the super indirect approach the third approach  is the super indirect approach this approach is   incredibly powerful because it works on a number  of psychological levels in this approach you tell   prospects they aren't a prospect and you're just  interested in finding out if they know someone   else who might benefit from your business it's  very effective examples for warm market prospects   the business i'm in clearly isn't for you but i  wanted to ask who do you know that's ambitious   money motivated and would be excited about the  idea of adding more cash flow to their lives   who do you know that might be looking for a  strong business they could run from their home   who do you know that's hit a wall with their  business and might be looking for a way to   diversify their income i'm working with a  company that's expanding in this area and   i'm looking for some sharp people that might  be interested in some additional cash flow   do you know anyone who might fit that description  in most cases they're going to ask you for more   information before they give you any names behind  that request will be curiosity and intrigue   thinking this might be for them but they're not  going to admit that to you yet when they ask for   more information you can respond with that makes  sense you'll want to know more about it before   you refer some of your contacts then you could  just move to step four examples for cold market   prospects cold market is exactly the same as  warm market for the super indirect approach   just use the warm market scripts or any variation  that's comfortable for you step 4 if i would you   this question has been my secret weapon for a  very long time it is by far the most powerful   phrase i've come across in building a large  and successful network marketing business   if i gave you a dvd would you watch it if i gave  you a cd would you listen to it if i gave you a   magazine or some other printed material would you  read it if i gave you a link to a website with a   complete presentation would you check it out if i  invited you to a special invitation only webinar   would you attend if i invited you to a  special invitation only conference call   would you listen in this question is so powerful  and for a number of reasons first it's reciprocal   you're saying you'll do something if they'll do  something as human beings we are hardwired to   respond positively to these types of situations  second it puts you in a place of power you're in   control you're not begging you're not asking for  favors you're simply offering a value exchange   and third it implies that you have something  of value to offer you're saying that you'll   do something but not unless the other  person will do something in exchange   when you value what you have people will respect  you when i first started i didn't know about this   magical question i just said things like i really  really really want you to watch my video try my   product listen to the cd etc you can imagine  the results the whole psychology of it is weak   if you use if i would you you're having a  business conversation if you use i really   really really want you now you sound desperate  and a desperate distributor is not attractive   if you've used this approach you  already know what i'm talking about   if i would you gets results it gets people to  say yes it helps prospects see what we have   in a different light remember our goal is  education and understanding if i would you   helps us achieve that goal if you started the  call with urgency complimented the prospect   made the invitation and asked if i would you their  answer will be yes almost a hundred percent of the   time and you can just go to step five if they  ask for more information first just respond with   i understand you want more information but  everything you're looking for is on the cd   dvd printed piece link etc the fastest way for  you to really understand what i'm talking about   will be for you to review that material so  if i gave it to you would you review it if   they say no then thank them for their time and  move on also review steps one through three to   see where you might have done better but do  not give your material to them so you've gone   through the first four steps and the person said  yes success they've agreed to review your tool   does that mean they'll follow through nope in fact  only about five percent of your prospects will do   what they said they would do if you just use the  first four steps and five percent is not a good   number to get closer to eighty percent you need  to complete the invitation process professionally   step five confirmation number one get the time  commitment you've asked if i would you and they've   said yes the next step is to get a time commitment  when do you think you could watch the dvd for sure   when do you think you could listen to the cd for  sure when do you think you could read the magazine   for sure when do you think you could watch the  link for sure don't suggest the time for them   that's another mistake i made early on in my  career just ask the question and wait for them   to respond this question makes them think  about their schedule and their commitments   find a place to review your tool and communicate  that back to you in other words it makes it real   when you first asked if i would you  and they said yes it was someday   when you get the time  commitment it starts to be real   the only thing that matters is that they give you  a time it doesn't matter what that time is let   them think about their schedule and tell you when  they will have reviewed the materials for sure   about 90 of the time they'll give you an answer  the other 10 of the time they'll be vague saying   something like i'll try to do it sometime if  they do that then tell them i don't want to   waste your time or mine why don't we just lock  in a time when you'll have seen it for sure   remember they've already said they'll review it  in step four this is just confirming the time   the key to all of this is that they've now said  yes twice the first time when they answered if i   would you and the second time when you received  a time commitment from them so now you can give   them the tool right wrong you're not done  yet the professionals take a few more seconds   to complete a couple more steps before they're  finished step six confirmation number two confirm   the time commitment if they tell you they'll watch  the dvd by tuesday night your response should be   something like so if i call you wednesday  morning you'll have seen it for sure right   if they say they'll listen to the cd by thursday  morning your response should be so if i called you   sometime later in the day on thursday you'll have  listened to it for sure right if they say they'll   watch the link by july first your response should  be so if i call you on july 2nd you'll have looked   at it for sure right they will either naturally  say yes or they will adjust the time slightly   in any case the significance of step 6 is now  they've confirmed three times and they are much   more likely to follow through and the key is  this isn't an appointment you've set it's an   appointment they've set they said they'd review  the materials they would do it by a specific time   and if you called them after that they would have  reviewed the materials you've asked the questions   their answers made the appointment step seven  confirmation number three schedule the next call   this step is simple just ask what's  the best number and time for me to call   they'll give you what works best for  them and now you have a real appointment   all you have to do is be sure to  remember to call when you said you'd call   they've said yes four times the whole invitation  took a few minutes and your chances of achieving   your goal of education and understanding has gone  from about five percent to about eighty percent   step eight get off the phone remember you're in a  hurry right once you've confirmed the appointment   the best thing to say to someone is something  like great we'll talk then gotta run too many   people make the appointment and then unmake it by  talking and talking and talking remember our goal   is education and understanding and we're going  to let the third party tool do most of the work   here are some examples of all eight steps a person  you know who hates their job direct approach   hey i don't have a lot of time to talk but it was  really important i reach you listen you're one of   the most financially intelligent people i know  and i've always respected that about you when   you told me you really didn't like your job  were you serious or you just kidding around   they say they were serious great i think i found a  way for you to create an exit strategy i have a cd   that describes what i'm talking about better than  i can if i gave you this cd would you listen to it   they say yes when do you think you could listen  to it for sure they say tuesday so if i call you   wednesday morning you'll have reviewed it for sure  right they say yes all right i'll check back with   you then what's the best number in time for me  to call they give me the information got it we'll   talk then gotta run thanks a good friend in direct  approach hey i'm running out the door but i needed   to talk to you real quick do you have a second  great listen you've always been so supportive   of me and i appreciate that so much i've just  started a new business and i'm really nervous   before i get going i need to practice on someone  friendly would you mind if i practice on you   they say sure great if i gave you a dvd that laid  out the information in a professional way would   you watch it they say yes it's about 15 minutes  long when do you think you could watch it for sure   they say thursday so if i called you friday  morning you'll have reviewed it for sure right   fantastic what's the best number in time  for me to call they give you the information   great we'll talk then gotta run thanks a highly  successful person super indirect approach   i know you're busy and i have a million  things going on too but i'm glad i caught you   you've been wildly successful and i've always  respected the way you've done business i've   recently started something new and i'm looking for  some sharp people it's clearly not for you but i   wanted to ask who do you know who's ambitious  money motivated and would be excited about the   idea of adding a significant amount of cash flow  to their lives they say they do know some people   i understand that you'd want to know more about  it before you recommend people i have a dvd that   explains exactly what i'm doing and the kind of  people i'm looking for it's brief if i sent one to   you would you review it they say they would thanks  when do you think you could view it for sure   they say next monday okay so if i call you next  tuesday you'll have reviewed it for sure right   okay i'll check back with you then what's  the best number and time for me to call   they give the information okay great thanks again  i appreciate it so much talk to you next tuesday   a cold market prospect who's done  a good job selling you something   direct approach now isn't the time to get into  this and i have to go but you're super sharp   and i happen to be looking for some sharp people  do you plan on doing what you're doing now for   the rest of your career they say no good i  have something that might interest you now   isn't the time to get into it but i have  a dvd that explains it all in great detail   if i gave it to you would you watch it they say  yes when do you think you could watch it for sure   they say sunday so if i called you monday you'll  have reviewed it for sure right they say yes all   right i'll check back with you then what's the  best number and time for me to call they give you   their information okay here it is thanks again for  the excellent service and i'll talk to you soon   are you feeling the flow of how this  works obviously there are many possible   variations for different kinds of prospects but  i hope these examples help you understand how   everything comes together in terms of scripts  it's best if you get the basic concepts down   and don't focus too hard on the exact script life  doesn't work that way but if you learn to let your   prospect know you're in a hurry then compliment  them then invite them then pass on a tool with if   i would you then confirm using the process  i described and finally get off the phone or   complete the invite you'll do just fine remember  in recruiting there are no good or bad experiences   just learning experiences on your journey  to become a network marketing professional   the best thing that can happen is for you  to develop the skills to recruit on demand   in any situation then you never have to worry  about being lucky so practice practice practice chapter 6 skill number three presenting your  product or opportunity to your prospects we've   talked about the first two skills of identifying  prospects and inviting them to learn more about   your product or opportunity as you've learned  you'll be inviting them to review a tool or   attend some sort of event if they're reviewing  a tool by themselves and you're not around   there's nothing for you to do just follow up when  you said you would if you're physically with them   there are some things you need to understand and  one of the biggest is you are not the issue this   was a tough one for me to accept when i first  got started i read everything i could listen to   everything i could and attended all the training  sessions i could i thought the most important   thing i could do was become an expert on all the  facts associated with my company so if anyone   asked me any questions i'd be right there with  the answers sounds logical right i would sit down   with someone and say let me tell you all about our  products let me tell you all about our company let   me tell you all about our compensation plan let me  tell you all about our incredible support system   there are big problems with that approach if you  want to build a large and successful organization   for me the first problem was no matter how much  i learned there would still be questions that   stumped me and since i was presenting  myself as the expert if i got stumped   that might make the prospect question the  whole opportunity the second problem was   most of my prospects knew i wasn't an expert  so when i came to them and presented myself   as an authority figure they knew it wasn't  true it actually made them more skeptical   the third problem was even if i was successful  at becoming an expert the other distributors   in my organization didn't necessarily have that  same desire or willingness to learn as a result i   was the go-to guy for every single presentation  there's no way to create an organization that   will duplicate with this approach and without  duplication network marketing is just a job   in the early days that's what network marketing  was for me a job i had no duplication because   i made myself the issue but i was determined  and i started to observe and take careful note   of how the most successful distributors did their  presentations the pros never made themselves   the issue more than that they never presented  themselves as an expert they acted as a consultant   who connected the prospect to tools events or  other distributors to help them become educated   if the prospect asked a question they would  guide them to the answer but they wouldn't   give the answer directly this baffled me  until i started to comprehend duplication   the pros knew they could sign the person up by  dazzling them with their knowledge and experience   but they also knew it would take a long time  for their new distributor to do the same thing   so they came up with a simpler approach it was  around this time i heard a concept that has stuck   with me ever since in network marketing it doesn't  matter what works it only matters what duplicates   this should be a guiding principle for  every network marketing professional   the pros use tools instead of their own wisdom  the pros use live events instead of their own   presentations the pros use other distributors  to give the facts instead of giving them   themselves the pros don't present themselves as  experts they just invite people to learn more   about the product or opportunity and let the  third party resource provide the information   the pros bring passion enthusiasm excitement and  belief if you ever watch a pro at work you'll see   a fire in them that's contagious make passion  enthusiasm excitement and belief your priority   then invite professionally and let  the third party resource do the rest   in addition to learning how to effectively present  your product or opportunity during your personal   recruiting efforts it's also important to learn  how to present your opportunity to groups of   people i've heard it said and i think it's true  the person with the marker makes the money in   other words the person in front of the room  giving the presentation usually has a higher   than average income when i first got started i  was deathly afraid of speaking in front of people   but i was ambitious and since everyone  said this was an important skill i was   determined to master it i started by learning  how to give a short and effective testimonial   learning to tell my story was extremely valuable  in building my business and has been to this day   people aren't interested in how much you know but  they are interested in your story as long as you   don't bore them to death with it i worked on my  story for a while and after tweaking at a time   or two here's what i came up with hi my name  is eric worre and i'm a retired underachiever   i had 18 jobs by the time of 23 and was starting  to think my future wasn't looking so good   i was embarrassed by my lack of results and i was  desperately looking for a way to make something   of my life in january of 1988 i was introduced  to network marketing and it has changed my life   instead of being afraid of the future now  i'm excited about it and then i would insert   whatever was appropriate based upon my current  levels of success the theme of my story was if   i could do it anyone could do it and it worked  i used it all the time in hotel meetings in home   meetings on three-way phone calls on conference  calls you name it no matter what your background   is you can craft a compelling personal story  i've found every good story has four elements   one your background two the things you didn't like  about your background three how network marketing   or your company came to the rescue and four  your results or how you feel about your future   take some time to create your story and  start telling it every chance you get   next i decided to master my company's opportunity  presentation again the concept of modeling   successful people came into play the top earner  in my company was extremely powerful and effective   in addition he did the same exact presentation  every single time just about word for word so   i recorded his presentation and transcribed  it by hand onto a legal pad when i completed   that step i recorded my own voice doing that  presentation i did it word for word same story   same jokes everything was his exact presentation  after i was done i played it back and it was   terrible my voice had no energy i was boring i  hated it so i recorded it again and again and   again until it was acceptable in the end i had  an audio cassette with my presentation on it   and i listened to it over and over in my car  i'll bet i listened to that presentation 500   times and by that time i had it memorized i knew  it backwards and forwards i could start from any   part of the presentation and take it from there  you would not believe the confidence this gave   me i went from being afraid to do the presentation  to actively looking for opportunities to give it   i did the presentation on conference calls in  home meetings on three-way calls and anyplace   else i could find i became a regular presenter  at our local meetings and continued to move up   to bigger and better venues even being  asked to speak at company conventions   for me the evolution of becoming a  presenter went through several stages   one learning my story two learning the standard  opportunity presentation and three learning   different training presentations one big  defining moment as a presenter came in 1993.   i was 29 years old and starting to make a name  for myself in network marketing i was having   a conversation with the ceo of the company  and the number one distributor at that time   i can't remember exactly how the topic came up  but i recall saying something to the ceo like   well he the top distributor might be a better  networker than i am right now but i can outspeak   him anytime it was meant as a joke but the ceo  raised his eyebrows and said okay son i'll tell   you what we have our big convention coming up over  fourteen thousand people will be in attendance   i'll give you both the same amount of  time and will have a private contest   i'll hand pick a few judges and they'll vote  on who did a better job wow now i was really   on the hook i wasn't a huge leader i didn't  have as big an organization or reputation at   the time as the top earner so i did the only  thing i could control i started to prepare   like my life hung in the balance i chose a theme  i wrote my talk and i rewrote it over and over   i did research i practiced i recorded myself doing  the speech i did everything i could possibly do   when the day came i'd never felt so nervous in  my entire life talking to 14 000 people is like   talking to an ocean but my preparation served  me well i studied my 29 year old insecure self   and delivered the response was overwhelming  the crowd went wild literally i felt numb   when i walked off the stage as they were still  cheering and sat there while the top earner gave   his speech he did a fine job but i have to admit  to you it felt so good to have the ceo come up   and congratulate me for winning our private little  contest it was definitely a defining moment that   speech was lost for a very long time but a copy  was recently discovered if you'd like to hear   it we'll include it at the end of this chapter my  voice sounds quite a bit younger but it's still me   to summarize this skill set remember a few  important things one when you're prospecting   you're the messenger not the message get yourself  out of the way and use a third-party tool   two learn to tell stories in a way that will  make your prospects curious to hear more   and three when it comes to presenting  in front of a group of people   preparation is key when you're prepared it's  fun and as promised here's my speech talking in   front of 14 000 people as a 29 year old young  man over 200 years ago there was a revolution   an american revolution an event that literally  changed the course of history it was led by a   group of unsatisfied people people were tired  of being told what they could do and when they   could do it people were fed up with their lack of  choices and their person lack of personal freedoms   people fed up with their lives being controlled  by others fed up with being oppressed fed up with   being manipulated they finally said enough i've  had it and i'm not going to live like this anymore our answer our ancestors were people that took  full responsibility for what happened to them   it was that spirit that ignited a country and  formed what is now a giant in the free world   i have a question for you  where is that spirit today it's time for another revolution let me explain one of the laws of the universe  it's called the law of use and it says simply   this whatever you don't use you lose lack of  use causes loss ambition unused declines faith   unused decreases if you don't use your skills you  lose your skills if you don't use your freedom   you lose your freedom freedom does  not come automatically it's not   attained and then handed down to us as an  inheritance it must be achieved each day   at the turn of the century in the year 1900  less than 10 percent of us worked for other   people or the government over 90 percent of us  were self-employed we were an independent people   in 1980 only 80 years later over 90 percent of  us worked for the other people of the government   less than 10 percent of us were self-employed we  changed from an independent people to a dependent   people we'd slowly shifted from a people who took  full responsibility for everything that happened   to them to a people who've become talented and  practiced at the art of blaming others for their problems our giant has fallen asleep our  forefathers didn't say who's going to take care of   me they simply said all i ask is the opportunity  to be free and the ability to take care of myself   and my family today we elect officials who will  quote unquote take care of us we cry out against   anyone who dares to ask us to provide more value  in the workplace we do everything we can to spread   around the suffering in our society and yet no one  is willing to step up and be part of the solution   we've slowly changed from a society  that compensates based on value   to a society that compensates  based on entitlement and seniority   what we've come to believe is our due we  act as if someone actually owes us a living   part of this change is due to the dramatic  rise of conformity in our society we're   all taught to conform incredible pressures are  put on us every day to do things quote unquote   the right way and yet no one asks the question  is this really the right way a man once said   i'm just a collection of mirrors reflecting  what everyone expects of me we live our lives to   please those around us and the scary thing is the  people around us are doing exactly the same thing   psychologist ronald may calls us outer  directed people we don't act we only react   we seek not to be outstanding but to fit  in we're able to respond but not to choose   perhaps that's why a wise man once said the  mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation   in order to change we need to  become inner directed people   people with our own purpose people who are not  easily swayed by the opinions of others and that's   difficult because from a very early age we look to  the opinions of others to orient ourselves and to   validate our decisions and our actions nietzsche  said we need more strong people in this world   because the weak by their sheer mass are  forcing weak ideals and weak values on us all   today's massive social and economic changes are  waking this slumbering giant some people may not   be ready right now for the changes happening today  in today's society it doesn't matter if they're   ready or not an old proverb says if a man wants  his dreams to come true he must first wake up i for one am glad for the radical changes in our  society because i believe that within that crisis   we will find that independent spirit that  once pioneered this country some of us are   finally ready to change the displacement of  our workforce has caused many of us to start   searching for something better moving products  and moving services is our business and our goal   but what we are becoming in the pursuit of that  goal is a larger and much more important issue   the rekindling of our independent  spirit has more lasting value there's no more noble of business than the  business that encourages the development of people   every living organism has one and only one central  need in life to fulfill its own potentialities   the acorn becomes an oak the puppy becomes a dog  and that's all that's required of the oak and the   dog but the human being's task in fulfilling his  or her nature is much more difficult the reason is   unlike any other living creature  on this planet you've been given   the dignity of choice you'll not grow like a tree  you'll grow only as you plan and choose to grow   when a person chooses to live two things happen  first assuming responsibility for themselves   takes on a whole new meaning they accept  responsibility not as something they've been   saddled with but it's something they themselves  have chosen the second thing that happens is   that discipline from the outside is replaced  by self-discipline they accept discipline not   because it's commanded because they themselves  have chosen what they want to do with their lives   just like when the disenfranchised disenfranchised  men and women over 200 years ago got fed up   and said i'm not going to live like this  one more day there's another there's another   revolution coming it's coming not just from  americans but from people all over the world   it's coming from people who've been  oppressed in meaningless jobs from   people who've been unjustly held back from  people who've been slighted or ignored from   people who've had their hopes crushed time and  time again by the circumstances around them   from people who've been playing in a game  where the rules weren't the same for everyone   from people whose dreams have almost died by the  methodical dripping of negative and pessimistic   forces people have just been waiting for  the right opportunity to present itself   an opportunity that they could hold on to believe  in a place where people believed in them i hear   the rumbling of this coming revolution every day  the old ch the old rules are changing and society   is finally ready for that change will  people try to persuade you not to rise   up yes they will and sometimes with the best  of intentions but we must fight anyone or   anything that tries to influence us against our  freedom and they'll try believe me they'll try they'll try to suggest you of  course to nudge you off course   to distract you off course  there's another revolution coming   and it's going to be led by a group of  unique and courageous people like you   people who've had it with the way things  are people picked out their mountain in life   and said i'm going to the top and  if someone tells you you can't climb   mountains you don't have any experience  you tell them i'm going to the top and if your neighbor tells  you come on choose another   mountain that one's too rocky  what are you going to tell them and if someone tells you let's go over here where  it's not so steep what are you going to tell them   and if someone says network marketing what are  you going to tell them and if your friend tells   you come on let's climb this one that one's  too slippery what are you going to tell them   if anyone tells you you can't go up it's too rocky  too steep too slippery you say listen here i'm   going up you're either gonna see me waving from  the top or dead on the side i'm not coming back there's something about the do or die attitude  it's almost like when someone has a do or die   attitude time fate and circumstances seem to  get together have a hasty conference and say   they say they're gonna do it or die we might as  well let them have it the people in this arena   are special you're special because you've already  rekindled that independent spirit you've already   said that you're not going to conform to negative  pressures around you you've all said enough i've   had it and i'm not living like this anymore you  are the people who want to set big goals and   aspirate aspirations for yourselves and your  families people who want to live in a country   where families are brought together again  instead of being torn apart people who want   a country or once again owning your own business  and controlling your own destiny is commonplace people who want a country where every man woman   and child is treated with  equal respect and dignity people who will pay any price  so their families will not   live with the legacy of maxed out  credit cards and unfulfilled promises   today we stand at the genesis of a new revolution  and people like you are going to lead it theodore   roosevelt said these words decades ago and i  think they're particularly appropriate today   he said we see across the dangers of the great  future and we rejoice as a giant refreshed   the great victories are yet to be won  the greatest deeds yet to be done i've   dreamt of a company that can give us the  opportunity to make these dreams come true   by allowing us all to fulfill our own true  potential i love you all thank you very much chapter seven skill number four  following up with your prospects   in mlm they say the fortune is in the follow-up i  think that's true because most people in mlm don't   follow up at all at least not as professionals  you need to understand some important concepts if   you're going to master this skill concept number  one follow-up is doing what you said you do if you   say you're going to call it a specific time then  do it the network marketing profession is full of   people who get all excited one minute and then  go missing in action the next run your business   through a physical or electronic calendar be the  person who does what they say they're going to do   people will respect that i sold real estate the  year before i got involved in network marketing   my father and his partner owned the company  one day i was in the office and a gentleman   by the name of chuck acock showed up for a 10  am meeting with my dad it was 9 55 a.m and my   dad wasn't in the office yet i greeted chuck and  told him i was sure my dad would arrive soon at 10   am exactly chuck got up and said it's 10 o'clock  your dad isn't here have him call me if he wants   to reschedule the meeting he couldn't believe it  he came all the way to the office just to leave   30 seconds after the appointment i told him mr  aycock i'm sure he'll be here any minute there's   no need to leave and then he told me something  i never forgot he said son you are either early   or you're late he's late and my time is valuable  have him give me a call if he'd like to reschedule   and he left my dad showed up at 10 10 am expecting  to meet chuck i told him what happened and he was   as stunned as i was my dad wasn't habitually late  or anything that particular morning he was just a   little casual with his time he rescheduled the  appointment and i noticed over the years that   my dad was always early for his appointments  with mr aycock what's the lesson in this story   for me the lesson was that people respect a  person who does what they say they're going to do   people also respect a person who values their  own time if you say you're going to follow up   at a specific time or in a specific way either do  it or reschedule well ahead of your appointment   concept number two the only reason to have an  exposure is to set up the next exposure when   i got started i would conclude every exposure  by saying what do you think no one told me that   was one of the worst things to do it felt like a  natural thing to say but my results were terrible   i asked one of my early mentors for help and he  said eric the only reason to have an exposure   is to set up the next exposure that blew my mind  i thought the reason to have the exposure was to   get the person signed up he went on to explain  that if you finish each exposure by setting up   the next one the prospect will eventually become  educated on the opportunity and make an informed   decision the goal in my mind changed from  getting the prospect on the first exposure   to just keeping the process alive by setting up  the next follow-up exposure then the next and the   next until they made a decision when i made this  small improvement my results improved dramatically   we talked earlier about how to professionally  invite your prospect to take a look at what   you have to offer at the end of that  process we went through several steps   to set up the next exposure meaning your  follow-up call that was your next appointment   when you make that call you're going to ask them  if they review the material they'll say no i   didn't or they'll say yes i did let's talk about  how you'll set up the next exposure in both cases   if they say no they didn't have a chance to  review the material it's important you don't   show your displeasure at their lack of follow-up  it sounds funny but a lot of people just jump on   their prospects with i thought you said you'd be  able to see it for sure obviously this won't help   build that good relationship you're working on the  best way to respond is that's okay i understand   sometimes life gets busy when do you think you  could do it for sure for sure you might say   for sure for sure is a little much but i've used  that for decades in this follow-up situation   and i do it because it works in any case use  whatever language you'd like to use to set up the   next time and walk through the same steps to get  the commitment once you have it including the date   and the time of the next call the next exposure  then hang up and call them when you said you would   if you call them at the scheduled time and  they still haven't reviewed the material   just repeat the process until they do remember  they are setting up the appointment and you are   being the professional by following up like you  said you would if you call the prospect and they   say yes they've reviewed the material you're going  to ask them a few intelligent questions first   you're not going to ask what do you think this  just invites the critical part of the prospect's   mind to come up with objections to try to sound  smart the best follow-up question i've ever   used is what did you like best this question  will take you in a very positive direction   and will give you clues as to the level of their  interest if they say the product then your next   exposure will probably be product related if they  say financial freedom then your next exposure will   probably be opportunity related another great  question to ask is on a scale of one to ten with   one being zero interest and ten being ready to  get started right away where are you right now   with this question anything over one  is good it says they have some interest   most of the time you get something like a five  or a six no matter what number they give you all   you're going to do is ask them how you can help  them get to a higher number usually that answer   will go along the lines of how they answered  what did you like best if the answer is very   positive and the number is fairly high you can go  directly into the closing process we'll cover that   in the next section if it isn't an obvious green  light then you just schedule the next exposure   they might want to try the product so you  help them do that and set up a follow-up date   a time to call them and check on the experience  the next exposure they might want to understand   the compensation plan so you set up a time to  get together and review it the next exposure   they might want to talk with their spouse so  you send them home with materials they can share   with their spouse and set up a date and time when  you'll follow up the next exposure whatever it is   you never finish one exposure without setting up  the next one never if you do it's over that's what   used to happen to me at the beginning i would have  someone look at the opportunity when they'd done   that i'd say so what do you think they usually  mumble something like i'll let you know or i'll   get back to you or i need to think more about  it or something similar and poof they were gone   then when i tried to call them back i was just  bothering them the whole thing felt uncomfortable   once i changed to never finishing one exposure  before setting up the next one everything changed   for the better i was being professional i was in  control the prospect had more respect for me and   for the opportunity all of this happened from this  one small change in mindset concept number three   it takes an average of four to six exposures  for the average person to join when people don't   understand that the only reason for an exposure  is to set up the next exposure they put too much   pressure on their prospects and on themselves in  the some will some won't so what next mlm culture   people hammer on a person once and if they don't  join right away they move on and never follow up   in many cases they take it a step further by  damaging the relationship with the prospects   with their attitude professionals understand that  it takes an average of four to six exposures for   a prospect to become involved their goal  is education and understanding it's hard to   educate someone in one exposure so they take  them from exposure to exposure to exposure   knowing it will eventually sink in through that  process they also build a stronger relationship   with the prospect they strengthen the friendship  that helps build trust and people enjoy working   with people they like four to six exposures is  an average which means that for every person who   joins on the first exposure there's going to be  a person who takes more than 10 exposures to join   you just never know some of the best people in  network marketing were prospected for years before   they finally made the decision to take part in the  opportunity keep your urgency but have patience   concept number four condense the exposures for  better results posers prospect someone once and   move on amateurs prospect someone through several  exposures over time professionals condense those   exposures into the shortest time possible people  are busy they're constantly distracted by life   when you're approaching them to take a  look at something new it's important to   keep their interest the best way to do that is  to stack the exposures as closely as possible   if you go slow you might start by having them  check out a video then a few weeks later have   them listen to a conference call then a month  later have them attend a webinar then after   another month invite them to a three-way  phone call with you and another distributor   this low process is difficult because between  each exposure they tend to get distracted by life   it can almost be like starting over every time   on the other hand if you have them check out a  video then join a conference call then try the   product then get on a webinar then participate in  a three-way call then come to a live meeting or   whatever combination of exposures you use in your  company and do it all in one week you give them   the opportunity to really think about how this  could change their lives questions and objections   at every step in the recruiting process  you'll come across questions and objections   this is natural a lot of the time your prospect  will just be bringing them up to sound intelligent   they don't want to seem easy so they throw out  objections to feel better how you respond is   extremely important if you act defensive you'll  plant a seed of doubt in their minds if you act   offensive you'll chase them away remember our goal  is education and understanding it's not to win an   argument our job is to help blind people see when  someone brings up a negative question or if they   offer you an objection all they're really doing is  helping you to identify one of their blind spots   it's helpful to know what these are so you  can assist your prospects in eliminating them   i'm going to give you some specific tactics  to help overcome objections but the thing   i want you to remember and spend more time  focusing on are concepts tactics come and go   concepts are timeless i found that objections  fall into one of two categories the first is the   prospect's limiting belief in their abilities they  aren't sure they can be successful the second is a   limiting belief in network marketing they aren't  sure network marketing will help them achieve   their goals in life for both categories one of  the best concepts is empathy how you relate to   people and the best way i know to relate to people  is to let them know you're just like they are you   had the same doubts the same questions the same  fears and you overcame them believe it or not your   story and the stories of others will do more for  you in overcoming objections than anything else   there's an old tactic called feel belt bound it  works with the concept of empathy when a prospect   offers an objection you respond with i know how  you feel i felt the same way here's what i found   you can use that quite literally with great  success you can also modify it based upon   your story and your prospect when prospects  have a limiting belief in their abilities   the common objections in this category are i don't  have the money i don't have the time it's not my   thing i'm not a salesperson i don't know anyone  or i'm too old too young have no experience etc   some people teach fancy approaches where you make  yourself seem smart and the prospects seem stupid   you don't have any money do you have a cable  bill do you have a cell phone do you ever go   out to dinner you have lots of money come on wake  up or you don't have the time how long do you want   to have that reality in your life you have to  change if you want your life to change how does   it feel when you hear that how would it feel if  someone were to say it to you pretty bad right   a better approach is to relate  to the person and tell your story   when a person tells me i just don't have the money  right now i respond i had the same exact challenge   i didn't have enough money to pay my bills let  alone start a new business but when i thought   about it i realized if i didn't have enough money  to pay my bills now how was i going to change that   in the future i was tired of being behind i was  tired of scrambling i wanted more out of life so   you know what i did i found a way and it was the  best decision i ever made let me ask you something   you really felt this was a chance for you to take  control of your financial future do you think   you could find a way to make it happen nine times  out of ten they would agree they could find a way   again forget the exact words and focus on the  concept i told them i was the same as they were   with the same objection i told him about my pain  and i told him i found a way to solve it as a   result we bonded we related to each other we were  in the same boat with the same hopes and dreams   and if i didn't have a personal story  that would compare with theirs i would   tell another person's story there are plenty of  stories inside your company that can relate to   virtually every situation so when a prospect  tells you their objection you can say i know   what you mean i have a friend who had that same  exact problem and let me tell you their story   can you see how that approach would work with all  the objections based on a person's limiting belief   about themselves and their lives the concept is  simple it's proven and the results are amazing   when people have limiting beliefs about network  marketing this category includes is this mlm is   this one of those things is this a pyramid scheme  i'm not interested in mlm i don't want to bother   my friends and how much are you making let's start  with the one that strikes fear into the hearts of   most people in our profession is this mlm or  variations like is this one of those things or   is this a pyramid scheme or i'm not interested in  mlm some people go a little crazy when they hear   this question they say pyramid scheme like every  corporation in the world like the government you   mean that instead of going crazy on your prospects  it's important to understand where this question   comes from my experience has shown me that they  usually knew someone who joined with no success   or else they've done it themselves usually they  just purchased a virtual lottery ticket like it   described earlier and it didn't pay off this  scenario represents well over ninety percent   of the people who will ask this kind of question  the rest of them have heard of opportunities like   this and are rightfully skeptical of the promise  of getting rich quick if they ask this kind of   question with any sort of emotion i know they've  been involved at some point so i say wait a minute   you have a story what happened were you  involved in network marketing at some point   then just let them tell you their story it opens  them up it lowers their defenses and it allows you   to ask some questions about their experience let  me give you a typical example i'm going through   my invitation process when the prospect says wait  a minute is this mlm and they say it with emotion   i reply oh you have a story did you  try it out at some point what happened   they say yeah i joined a company a few years  ago bought some product and lost my money   i reply what do you think was the  reason you didn't have success   they say well my friend talked me into  it i didn't have a lot of time and   i thought more people would join right away  but they didn't i guess i just lost interest   i reply do you think you really gave it a  fair shot they say no not really i replied   do you think network marketing was the problem  or do you think maybe your timing wasn't right   they say it was probably the timing do you see the  dynamic i've had thousands of these conversations   they're all slightly different but if you ask them  questions and are friendly through the process   you have a strong opportunity to help them get rid  of their blind spot and take a look at what you   have to offer in addition you can relate to them  by saying you had the same objection initially   and telling them how you overcame it if someone  uses the word pyramid with me i always say oh no   pyramid schemes are illegal and i would  never be involved with something illegal   for people asking this with emotion attached  i usually respond with yes this is network   marketing do you know anything about it again  i'm asking questions and waiting for answers from   those answers i ask more questions and through  the process i can achieve my goal of education   and understanding i don't want to  bother my friends is slightly different   again i relate to them by telling my story or  somebody else's story and then i ask questions   like what makes you think you'd be bothering  your friends if you truly believed in the   product would you let your friends know about  it and if i could show you how we can share   this product with others without it feeling or  sounding like a sales pitch would that help you   the last in this category is how much are you  making if you're making money already this is a   great question if you're not your answer depends  on how long you've been involved if you're brand   new you can tell them you're just getting started  if you've been around for a while and not making   big money yet you can tell them you're working  part-time and are really excited about your future   you could also say that you're excited about your  future with this company because you knew things   weren't going to change if you didn't do something  to change them the other way to answer it is to   tell your story and then tell stories of people  you know who are making good money you can even   suggest setting up a phone conversation with those  people so they can feel more comfortable about the   opportunity all of this takes practice but if you  get the concepts down you'll find it becomes easy   and the other thing that should encourage  you is you'll only have this handful of   the same objections for the rest of  your career there's nothing new here   what i've listed in this section is about  all there is remember our goal is education   and understanding this is a part of the  process that makes that goal a reality chapter eight skill number five helping your  prospects become customers or distributors   this skill is a natural byproduct of following  up professionally if you walk through exposure   after exposure our goal of education and  understanding will be accomplished but that   doesn't mean the prospect will come out and  ask you for an order form or an application   it's your job to get them to a decision the  key to success in this area is a combination   of having good posture and asking good questions  good posture means the way you carry yourself your   words and actions will help your prospect feel  more confident about joining your opportunity   or they'll plant seeds of doubt in my early years  my posture was terrible i was trying to get people   instead of pursuing the nobler goal of education  and understanding and the prospects could feel   my intentions i was very emotionally attached to  the outcome you could even say i was needy every   time i got to this part of the process i really  really wanted it again the prospect could feel   my emotional attachment and that usually scared  them away through lack of results and without   even realizing it i started to assume people were  not going to be interested and that assumption   started to seep into everything which led to the  predictable result of the prospect not joining   most of the time i wasn't properly prepared  i didn't have applications startup materials   or whatever else was necessary think about the  subconscious impact this had on my prospects   it seemed just about everything i did projected  a lack of belief and a lack of professionalism   instead of asking questions and listening intently  to the answers i just talked and talked and talked   i was more focused on being interesting than  being interested prospects don't like that   no one does so again i followed the pattern  of modeling the professionals i watched what   the best closers did and began to copy them  i interviewed the top performers to figure   out what they did differently and slowly i  started to see the flaws in my own approach   first i learned that professionals are emotionally  detached from the outcome in other words their   goal is education and understanding while helping  a prospect make a decision that would positively   impact their lives they're the opposite of needy  they aren't trying to get anybody they're honestly   just trying to help second they're very assumptive  in their approach they expect the person to join   because their belief that the opportunity  would benefit the prospect is so strong   they're rock solid many of them are sincerely  shocked when a person decides not to get involved   third it was interesting to learn they promoted  themselves as much as they promoted the product or   the opportunity what i mean by that is they help  the prospect make the decision by saying you get   me when they promoted themselves it isn't like i'm  going to do everything for you it was more like we   have a great product and a great opportunity  but i'm going to take this thing to the top   and we can do it together this gives people great  comfort in knowing that they don't have to learn   everything on their own fourth they're always  prepared always they have everything they need   to get a person started right on the spot and  fifth they ask question after question after   question and are great listeners they act like  a consultant helping a person with a problem the   best consultants in the world have to ask a bunch  of questions before they can offer a solution   network marketing professionals use  questions as their most powerful tool   as you can imagine it took me a while to figure  all of this out and that was just half the battle   it's one thing to have the information and it's  another thing to put it into action i wasn't as   talented as the pros but i could model what they  did so i just started to act like they acted   i acted emotionally detached i really wasn't at  the beginning i started to act very assumptive   that people would join i really wasn't at the  beginning i started to tell people and you get me   even though i didn't think that was such a huge  benefit at the beginning i was always prepared   i started to ask lots of questions focusing  more on being interested than interesting   and as time went on i acted less and less and  believed more and more the same can happen for   you let's talk about questions if you were a  consultant and your job was to figure out if   an opportunity was a good fit for your client what  would you do you'd ask questions right in working   to help a prospect make a positive decision about  your opportunity you're going to do the same thing   but instead of asking what did you think which  leads nowhere learn to ask questions that lead   in a positive direction did it make sense to you  what did you like best about what you just saw   pretty exciting isn't it can you see  how this could be an opportunity for you   of these examples the one i use most is what  did you like best the answer to that question   is almost always positive and it gives you clues  as to the area in which they're most interested   then i like to say let me ask you a question  on a scale of one to ten with one meaning   you have zero interest and ten being you're  ready to get started right now where are you   they'll give you a number and it's usually  obvious from their number that they either need   more information before they'll make a decision  or they're leaning towards getting started now   if you feel they need more information just  guide them to the next exposure that will help   them the most but if you feel they're ready to  get started then ask a series of four questions   this four question close has produced strong and  consistent results over the course of my career   if you learn it and use it you'll be  amazed at how many people you can help   question number one based upon what you've just  seen if you were to get started with this company   on a part-time basis approximately how much would  you need to earn per month in order to make this   worth your time instead of asking this question  most distributors say things like how do you   like to make ten thousand dollars a month don't  do that instead of prescribing what you think   they want just ask them what it would take to  make it worth their time and wait for their answer   question number two approximately how  many hours could you commit each week   to develop that kind of income now they have to go  inside their head and check their mental calendar   to see how much time they would invest to get  that kind of money question number three how   many months would you work those kind of hours in  order to develop that kind of income this question   makes them think about their level of commitment  if they want the income from question number one   question number four if i could show you how to  develop an income of their answer to question   number one per month working their answer  to question number two hours a week over the   course of their answer to question number three  months would you be ready to get started most of   the time you'll get a positive answer to this  question and when people say sure show me how   you can pull out your compensation plan and sketch  out a reasonable game plan to achieve their goals   there are rare occasions when people  will give you unrealistic numbers   they might say they want ten thousand dollars  a month working two hours a week for one month   doesn't happen often but it does happen if you  face that situation you act as a consultant   and say i'm sorry but your expectations are way  too high you can get to ten thousand dollars a   month but it'll take more hours and more months  than you're willing to commit if you're willing   to change those expectations we can talk  if you don't get a positive answer to the   four questions that's okay that means the  prospect will need to have more exposures   before they're ready schedule the next one and  repeat this process when you're done this skill   will take practice but it's a skill that will  serve you for the rest of your career if you're   tired of having too many people thinking about  it and not enough taking action this will help   chapter nine skill number six helping your new  distributor get started right in network marketing   people invest enormous effort time and money into  getting people signed up and then squander that   investment by leaving their new distributors to  figure everything out for themselves professionals   don't do that they set proper expectations they  help get some quick results and then continue to   guide the new distributor through the many phases  of our profession i was lucky enough to have an   early mentor michael nelson who is very skilled  at guiding new distributors michael wasn't in my   upline but he was clearly the leader in my city  in addition he had a lot of experience in our   profession so i listened to what he said i watched  what he did and i asked him tons of questions   back in those days he had a small office close to  my home and i was always hanging around trying to   learn something michael was a very successful  recruiter he was always bringing on new people   and for the most part michael's people did well  in the business that wasn't happening for me   the few people i recruited did nothing  as i watched michael i noticed that   every time he signed up a new distributor he  scheduled what he called a game plan interview   i decided to model what he did so the next time he  met with a new distributor i sat behind him close   enough to take notes on their conversation i did  this several times and was surprised to learn he   went through the same exact interview every time  i thought if i could learn that interview process   then i'd have a chance at his results game plan  interview part one he validated their decision   to become a distributor he said things like  congratulations on making the decision i'm proud   of you for taking charge of your life from now on  things are going to be different for you and your   family it always took less than five minutes  but by the end of their discussion any doubt   they may have had about becoming a distributor  was gone they felt great game plan interview   part two he set their expectations he knew most  people came into our business with unrealistic   expectations so he always said the same three  things if you succeed in this business it's going   to be you who creates that success not me and if  you fail in this business it's going to be you who   creates that failure not me you're going to be the  difference between success and failure i'm here to   guide you every step of the way but i can't do it  for you i'm here to work with you but not for you   wow this was a radical concept and so different  from the conversations i had when i got a person   started i said things like i get paid from  what you produce so essentially i work for you   well what kind of expectation do you think  that's set in the new distributor's mind   i'd also say we are going to build a business  together when that wasn't really true they needed   to build a business i could be a resource but i  couldn't do it for them the next thing he said was   my job is to help you become independent from  me as quickly as possible do you agree that   that's a good goal again this was radical but  it made sense up to that point i had a group   that was extremely dependent on me they only did  something when i pushed but michael had a group   that produced on their own without his constant  help he had duplication and freedom i didn't   this set the relationship up so michael would be  the teacher for his group and not the slave he   could show them the skills and then they could  independently build from that point forward   the third thing he said was there will certainly  be ups and downs as you build your business   there'll be good times and bad times i'll  know when you're in one of the bad times   when you aren't calling me you aren't showing  up for meetings you aren't on the calls if i   start hearing excuses that sort of thing when that  happens with you and it happens with everyone how   do you want me to handle that do you want me to  leave you alone or do you want me to be persistent   and remind you why you made this decision in the  first place this was brilliant because it's true   that everyone will have times of self-doubt he  let them know it was natural and at the same time   set up the relationship so he was in a position  to turn them around when it happened what michael   accomplished with these three concepts was so  different from promising the world like i was   doing that it was night and day with my approach  the distributor would sit back and wait for me to   perform and if i was ever too busy or couldn't  help for some reason i became the easy excuse   for why things weren't working out with michael's  approach his people became independent quickly he   would coach them from time to time but he wouldn't  allow his group to use him as an excuse for their   lack of results while my distributor struggled  his flourished game plan interview part three   michael went through a getting started checklist  to help the new person have the best chance for   success the exact plan would be different  for every company but the concept was to do   everything possible to get quick results here are  some examples of what you could include in your   getting started checklist one make sure your new  distributor is set up with appropriate products   just about every company has products that can be  personally used by the distributor so make sure   your new person is doing that depending on your  company this may include a monthly commitment   it's very important that people develop  an emotional attachment to the products   and that can only happen if they are  using them and enjoying the benefits   in addition many companies have products that can  be sampled or used in demonstrations in that case   new distributors should have an appropriate supply  so they're properly prepared two make sure your   new distributor is set up with appropriate tools  we've talked about the importance of third-party   tools in building a large and successful network  marketing business your new distributor needs to   be prepared to help their prospects with  the tools that will professionally take   them through the exposure process three make sure  your new distributor gets connected show them how   to find things on the company website where  the upcoming events are being held when the   leadership calls or webinars are being conducted  etcetera remember our goal is to help them become   independent as quickly as possible this is an  important step in making that goal a reality   four make sure your new distributor has a basic  understanding of the compensation plan they don't   need to know it in detail at the beginning but  they should at least understand the key points and   what will happen financially as they move through  the first few levels five make sure your new   distributor has a fundamental understanding of how  to properly invite their prospects to understand   more about what they have to offer you can save  them from running out there and talking their   heads off with little or no results by giving them  a brief overview of how and why a professional   invitation process works game plan interview part  four michael helped the new distributor create a   game plan to get through the first few ranks and  challenge them to do it quickly he understood   and helped me to understand that it was a race to  help a person get results quickly if they received   early positive reinforcement they'd continue and  if they didn't they had a tendency to fade away   every company is different so this game plan  will also be different but think about the simple   actions you can encourage people to take during  the first week to get the best possible results   how can they get their first customer how can they  get their first distributor can you encourage them   to attend their first company event what steps can  you take to help them earn their first commission   check success in network marketing wasn't  real for me until i earned that first check   when it arrived everything changed for me i  started to really dream about creating a better   life for myself and my family helping your  new person get off to a quick start is vital   game plan interview part five michael always ended  by giving some specific assignments one thing i've   learned is new distributors crave direction and  they respond incredibly well to simple assignments   michael always ended by giving those assignments  along with a deadline for them to be completed   he told his new distributor to get back  to him by a specific date it's just like   the exposure prospecting process you go from  exposure to exposure but it doesn't end until   they become distributors the professionals  continue to go from exposure to exposure   assignment to assignment the purpose of all this  is to help the new distributor get over the line   when someone gets started there's always a line  between success and failure on one side of the   line it's easier to quit than continue on the  other side of the line it's easier to continue   than to quit what can help a person get over  the line signing up their first customer signing   up their first distributor getting their first  commission check attending a big company event   making friends inside the organization  proclaiming their intentions to the world   getting promoted to a new level being  recognized for some sort of achievement   there are hundreds of other things that can  contribute to a person getting over the line   as a sponsor your job is to help them get over  the line and stay over the line and the line never   really goes away it's always there and you as a  leader need to be constantly aware of where your   people are emotionally this way you can continue  to encourage them to never let go of their dreams   chapter 10 skill seven promoting events   in network marketing meetings make money it's  just that simple yes technology can help us   connect with people in ways that are becoming  more and more efficient but nothing replaces   face-to-face interaction meeting people one-on-one  in small groups or at local or bigger events   will have a huge impact on the long-term  success of any network marketing organization   but one particular type of event is the most  powerful and that is the destination event   it might be a company sponsored event or one put  on by your upline leadership but a destination   event is one where most of the attendees travel to  a different city stay at a hotel and participate   in a conference or convention some try to argue  that the destination event is dead in the new   technology world and people won't travel for  these things anymore all i can tell you is those   people aren't top earners in our profession  if you study what the successful people do   to build their network marketing organizations  you'll find that virtually every one of them   uses destination events as a cornerstone for  building their business there's something magical   about getting away from your day-to-day grind and  focusing completely on your dreams total immersion   even if it's only for a weekend is good you can  use it to refocus and recommit to your future and   gather the strength necessary to go back home and  do what's necessary to move your business forward   you gain strength from the presentations you  hear during the event sometimes a person says   something at just the right time in  your life and it changes you forever   over 20 years ago i was at a convention when a guy  by the name of johnny daniel said you can tell the   size of the man by the size of the problem that  gets him down that statement went right into my   heart and has helped me ever since if i ever  get sad or depressed something inside me says   is this the size of eric i answer no pick myself  up and get moving again i've had hundreds of those   moments over the years at destination events i  gave up blaming at an event i decided to become a   professional at an event i realized no one could  stop me at an event i decided to go to the top   at an event in fact as i think back i can't  think of a single significant moment in my   network marketing career that didn't happen at  an event they're that powerful in addition to   gaining strength from the presenters you'll  also receive incredible validation of your   decision to be involved it's a concept called  social proof and it's very important as human   beings we're wired to seek proof from sources  outside of our own thoughts and experiences   at a destination event you'll see lots of other  people who've made the same decision you have   and that feels good also you'll see how some of  them have overcome their fears and gone to the   highest levels in your company you start to think  if they can do it maybe i can do it too there's   also some positive peer pressure involved most  destination events include recognition programs   who won the contest moved to the next rank earned  the top income or spoke from the stage when i went   to my first event and i saw all the people walking  across that stage i had one thought the next time   i'll be walking across that stage it was inspiring  that so many people had accomplished what i hadn't   done yet it made me think i could do it and  it made me work on a plan to make it happen in   addition to being inspired i also didn't want to  show up at the next event without some improvement   in my business that positive peer pressure  helped me face my fears and make it happen   overall the sense of community at a destination  event is comforting we all live in a world filled   with ignorant people when it comes to network  marketing that can be discouraging at times   but when we go to a big event suddenly we're  surrounded by people who think like we think   they have similar beliefs hopes dreams aspirations  and positive attitudes spending time with this   amazing group of people can literally fill us back  up again so we have strength for the next push   once you understand how important destination  events are to the success of your business   you need to learn how to effectively  promote them to your organization   it's really simple the more people from your group  attend events the more money you're going to make   in our profession top leaders know exactly how  many people are attending and they make sure to   grow that number at every new event think about it  take two distributors who each have a group of 100   people distributor a makes it a priority and gets  everyone to attend every major destination event   distributor b doesn't make it a priority so only  a handful attend which group is going to be more   successful it's not even a contest the first  step in developing a culture that promotes   attendance at destination events is to personally  be more committed than anyone else to attending   and helping others make the same decision that  means you need to lead by example and never miss   a destination event when i first started in this  profession i didn't know how i was going to do it   i didn't have the money and i couldn't afford the  time i had the same obstacles as everyone else   but something happened to me in my  first event that changed everything   i scraped up enough money to get there and it was  a mind-blowing experience the stage the lights the   people the stories it was awesome during one of  the sessions i stepped out to go to the bathroom   and when i came back to the entrance to the  big convention hall i found myself standing   next to one of the top income earners in the whole  company it was like standing next to a celebrity   he had achieved what i wanted to achieve  and more i stood there trying to think of   something smart to say and finally i simply  introduced myself and asked what's the secret   now today i know there isn't a secret and he  could have said the same thing to me but instead   he had a little compassion and gave me an  important lesson that serves me to this day   he said eric do you see this room it holds about  two thousand people we have these events about   three times a year here's the secret at the  next event half of these people won't come back   but the other half that does will be making about  twice the average of everyone else in the room   your job is to be in the thousand people who come  back and it doesn't stop there at the next event   half of those one thousand won't come back but  the 500 who do will be making four times the   amount of the average in the room this continues  from event to event if you continue to come back   you'll end up being among the highest paid people  in the room and eventually you'll even find   yourself presenting on stage i said that's it and  he replied eric obviously you're going to have to   continue to work on your skills in between events  but my experience has shown me that if you outlast   people at our big events you'll make it to the  top this was pretty simple for me to understand   i thanked him and made a resolution on  the spot to never miss a big company event   it wasn't easy sometimes the event tickets alone  were a problem i made it a priority and found a   way to buy them sometimes child care was an issue  i relentlessly searched for babysitters until we   found someone we could trust sometimes i struggled  with how to get to the event instead of taking a   nice comfortable direct flight sometimes i had to  book one with two or three connections instead of   flying sometimes i had to drive even piling into  one vehicle with a group of people to get there   there were even times when i reserved a bus and  recruited people in my area to share the ride   the point is i made it a priority and i made it  to the event no matter what as for accommodations   today i stay in a suite but it wasn't always  that way at the beginning i often shared a   room with as many people as possible instead of  room service we'd go to the local grocery store   and get food for inexpensive meals and the  minibar was strictly off limits bottom line   the advice i received all those years ago worked  because i was ambitious and hungry i figured out a   way to outlast the people who were less committed  and just like that top income earner had told me   my income continued to grow with each event on top  of that another strange thing happened i started   to feel different than everyone else i started to  feel like an iron man i started to be proud of the   fact that i was still standing when other people  lost faith so if you're more committed than anyone   else to attending the destination events that  all important commitment will serve you very well   once you're fully committed the next step is to  grow the number of people on your team that attend   with you most people announce the next big event  to their group sit back and hope people register   professionals understand there's a  big difference between an announcer   and being a promoter promoters make  the event a priority in their group   they are relentless with their message they tell  stories that inspire people to action they take   nothing for granted and don't rest until people  have registered they paint a picture in people's   minds about how great the event will be and the  benefits of attending one thing i learned long ago   was to never buy someone's excuse at least at the  beginning i can't tell you how many people started   off by telling me the reasons they couldn't attend  the next destination event only to find out that   their reason was just an excuse and wasn't really  true the problem with amateurs is they buy that   first story and that's the end of it person says  i can't get off work or i can't afford it or i   can't arrange child care or who's going to watch  my dog or there's a birthday party that weekend   and the amateur says oh well it is what it  is i hope you can make it to the next one   the professional has a completely different  mindset when they hear an objection they don't   buy that story because they know it's probably  not real or at least not real enough instead   they work with that person to help them understand  the meaning and importance of attending the event   then they brainstorm with them to figure out a way  to overcome their initial problem i can't tell you   how many people i've talked to who had already  decided they were not going to attend the next   event and within five minutes they changed their  mind and registered the lesson here is to tell   your story don't buy theirs think of this skill  as if you're a publicly traded company and your   stock value is tied directly to how many people  you have at each destination event if that were   the case you'd make it a priority to always have  a bigger number at the next event wouldn't you   you might start with just you at the first event  but then the goal needs to be to bring someone   with you to the next one and to grow that number  at the next and the next and the next there's   no such thing as a silver bullet in network  marketing but this skill is as close as it gets chapter 11 anything worthwhile takes time  if a person starts a traditional business   they expect to break even in their first year  and possibly pay back their initial investment   in the first five years but when a person starts  a network marketing business they expect to get   their money back in the first month make a profit  in their second month and get rich by the third   month and when that doesn't happen they blame  network marketing it's like people don't want   the laws of the business world to apply to network  marketing we do have a better way but we're not   selling magic beans here anything of value takes  time to develop i learned a great lesson early   in my network marketing career from time to time  in your life your income might take a lucky jump   you might be in the right place at the right time  but if you don't quickly grow as a person to that   new higher level your income is going to come  back down to the level of who you really are   in the end you only get to make what you  are how many people do you know that hit   it big and lost it all i learned this lesson  the hard way in my first few months in mlm   back in 1988 i joined a company that had a five  thousand dollar upfront package which paid the   sponsor between twelve hundred and twenty four  hundred dollars depending on their level although   i'm glad most of those big money packages have  left our profession back then a person can make   some pretty big money fast in my first month  with that company i earned approximately 7 400   if you remember my strategy was to quickly call  my dad's friends before he could get to them i   was ecstatic in my second month i earned  about twelve thousand two hundred dollars   unbelievable but then reality kicked in  i wasn't a twelve thousand dollar a month   person i hadn't worked on my skills i wasn't  developing myself i was just riding the wave   my third month's check was one thousand ninety  eight dollars and sixty cents looking at that   check was like looking at myself in the mirror  it showed me who i was it was an ugly feeling   my first reaction was to quit and blame everyone  and everything for my bad check but eventually i   realized that to earn more i needed to become  more i needed to work on my skills so i didn't   have to rely on luck or timing or positioning  you might have heard you can get rich quick or   there's no work involved or the product sells  itself or any number of trumped-up statements   but you must learn to give up those false and  unrealistic expectations and go to work on you   the 1357 formula there's a formula i've seen work  in our profession i call it the one three five   seven formula as a general rule it will take you  about one year to become competent and profitable   in network marketing you'll know the basics you'll  cover expenses and you'll be learning it'll take   about three years of consistent part-time effort  in order to go full-time it'll take about five   years of consistent effort to become a six-figure  earner or above and it will take about seven years   of consistent effort to become an expert now that  doesn't mean you can't make more than that in the   short term many people do it just means if  you want to keep making that kind of money   you need to eventually become an expert when  you think about it seven years isn't so bad   especially when a good portion of it is part time  you're going to be seven years older anyway you   might as well become an expert over that period  of time instead of just going through the motions   how to learn once you make the commitment to  focus on your skills the next thing you need   to do is figure out the best way to learn one  of the best things that ever happened to me was   realizing there are no bad experiences and no  good experiences only learning experiences this   was a major breakthrough in other words let go of  the outcome and focus on what you can learn from   every experience this took so much pressure off me  instead of always looking for great experiences i   started focusing on how many experiences i could  have because the more i had the more i could learn   another attribute of a top earner in mlm is  they are what i like to call an active student   as a professional they're always learning  always growing always trying to get better   lou holt said it best in this world you're  either growing or you're dying so get in   motion and grow i think that's true never  stop learning model successful behavior   try to avoid reinventing the wheel when you get  involved in this profession the hard work has   already been done no matter what company you're  in it's easy to find someone who's very successful   doesn't matter if it's getting customers finding  prospects inviting presenting following up   closing getting people started  building for events or any other skill   there are people in your company  right now who have them mastered   and unlike other professions the successful people  in your company are eager to share their secrets   all you need to do is model their behavior  and you can begin to enjoy their results   study audio programs got me started back in 1988  someone gave me a bootleg copy of a talk jim rohn   gave to the shaklee company it  was called the seed and the sewer   and it rocked my world i bet i listened  to that audio cassette in my car 500 times   from there i did some homework on jim rohn and  purchased his challenge to succeed audio program   jim rohn gave me hope and more than that he gave  me direction in my continual personal development   that audio program launched my personal  development journey through the years i   continued with dozens of different audio programs  all incredibly helpful in keeping my mind right   there's something magical about audio it whispers  in your ear reminding you of your dreams of your   potential and how to get there in addition it's  repetitive you probably won't read a book over   and over but you'll listen to an audio program  over and over especially if it's entertaining   and it seems like each time it's different  and it is because you're different   jim rohn also taught me to be a reader  no matter what you're trying to learn   there's someone who's devoted their entire life to  the subject and is offering it to you for pennies   take them up on that offer in our electronics  focused attention deficit society fewer people   seem to read books that's not true for leaders  ask the top earning distributors if they're   readers more importantly ask them what they're  reading i wasn't much of a reader before i became   a network marketing professional but since 1988  i've read an average of about four books a month   those books have shaped my life and my career  for the better commit to just 10 pages a day   and you can read a 300 page book  in a month that's a great start   video video is another source of great learning  sometimes i like to watch training programs   instead of just listening it's part of the  reason i decided to use video as my main focus   at networkmarketingpro.com i found if i created a  short video with interesting information every day   people receive tremendous value if you'd  like to check out hundreds of free videos   you can go to networkmarketingpro.com it's free  online the internet has changed the way we learn   and gather information you can take advantage  of online tutorials watch online videos   attend online webinars or even watch events  live with streaming technology events the best   way i know to really internalize life-changing  information is to attend live events as i've   already told you most of my defining moments have  come from events on one side there's always good   information for a person who's listening on the  other side when you eliminate all of the other   distractions in life and just focus like you  do at an event you have a chance to really hear   both sides are good be careful of distractions  with all of the choices available to you in terms   of studying your craft now more than ever you must  be careful about what you allow into your mind   people everywhere will try to distract you  with their latest and greatest breakthrough   and it can be very tempting to jump at all those  opportunities you should be focused on a very   narrow range of skills finding prospects inviting  presenting following up closing getting people   started right and promoting events make sure you  master those skills before adding anything else   to your to-do list take action almost all of the  learning in mlm is in the doing if you want to   learn how to talk to people on the phone then  talk to more people on the phone if you want to   learn how to do a home presentation then do more  home presentations you'll certainly figure it out   that doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to seek  knowledge on the skill sets for success in mlm   but it does mean you shouldn't wait for  complete knowledge before taking action   part of the reason people avoid taking action  is they're afraid they'll be embarrassed   if you want to be successful in network marketing  you must learn to set that fear aside here's why   it's very difficult to look good and get better at  the same time instead of being afraid of how you   look as you're learning and growing be afraid of  not taking action and living a life at a fraction   of your potential let me give you a concept  that has served me for over 20 years in the   area of developing my skills back in the early  1990s a friend and i were searching for a great   network marketing product we traveled the country  and met with many interesting people our journey   led us to an organization in michigan called  the high scope educational research foundation   they had a progressive and proven way to  teach children how to learn more effectively   high scope has many components but the one that  struck me then is the one i've used to this day   called plan do review here's how  the company explains the process   in the plan do review process children make plans  carry them out and reflect on what they have done   in doing so children learn to take initiative  solve problems work with others and accomplish   their goals their play becomes more purposeful and  focused by making plan do review a successful and   integral part of your classroom's daily routine  you'll learn how you can promote learning and   build on children's interests and intrinsic  motivation when i heard what they were saying   on how to use it as a teaching tool for children  the only thing that was rolling around in my mind   was how i could use it for myself  and the people in my organization   while things didn't work out for turning the high  scope product into a network marketing product   i'll be forever grateful to their organization  for helping me and hundreds of thousands of   people all over the world to use this concept  to build a better business here's how i've used   and taught the concept for over 20 years  now choose a skill you want to develop   one make a plan two do your plan three review your  results to see how you can do better next time   most people don't make a plan  they just charge out there and do   even more people never review their results to  see how they could improve do you see how this   connects with no good experiences and no  bad experiences only learning experiences   one make a plan two do your plan three review your  results good or bad to see how you could do better   next time four make a better plan five do that  better plan six review those results good or bad   to see how you could do better next time seven  never stop applying plan do review and you'll   eventually become an expert through trial and  error this little secret to learning in mlm is   one of the most powerful i've shared it's become  part of my dna i hope the same happens for you   teaching would it surprise you to know that  teaching is one of the best ways to learn   it's true if you want to really master something  teach it to others teaching burns a groove in   your brain like nothing else can who do you think  gets the most benefit from the daily video shows   at networkmarketingpro.com i do i have to think  about it prepare and present the message every day   so it helps keep me sharp and on top of my game  the lesson for each of you should be to find   someone to teach even if you just have one person  in your group start there and as your group grows   look for more and more opportunities to teach  you'll get the most benefit your associations   this is another important lesson from jim rohn he  taught me the law of association that says you'll   become the average of the five people you spend  the most time with you'll think how they think act   how they act talk how they talk and earn how they  earn let me tell you something this law is real   you can't fight it i've done three things  over the course of my career when it comes   to my associations first i've disassociated  with the people who are toxic to my life   this isn't an easy decision but it's an important  one some people will keep you down permanently   second i've limited my associations with negative  people or people who weren't helping me grow in   the direction of my dreams i just learned to  spend less time with those people and more time   on positive influences and third i've worked to  expand my associations with people who can help me   become a better person and a better professional  if you're trying to learn to become an expert in   the network marketing profession doesn't it make  sense to find a way to spend more time with the   people who have the skills you're looking for  if this is a little too stressful to think about   when you're looking at the five people you're  spending time with right now here's a little tip   about every six months one of the people in your  five will change they'll move get a new job start   a relationship and a relationship something will  happen the secret is when that happens choose   very wisely when you're thinking about who's  going to take their place most people don't   think about this at all they just let the next  person fall into that place that's a big mistake   find someone who will push you find someone who  will inspire you i hope these suggestions on the   learning process of becoming a professional  have been helpful to you it's okay to dream   big but you also have to be patient anything of  value takes time continue to develop your skills   become a permanent student those skills will  make a place for you for the rest of your life   there's one more concept you need to understand  i've analyzed the top earners in network marketing   i've interviewed them and we've become friends  do you know what they all have in common they   work hard don't get me wrong they have a great  lifestyle and they love what they do but they   work their butts off if you want big success  in mlm you're gonna have to do the same network   marketing isn't about luck timing positioning or  signing that magic person who will make you rich   freedom is possible but it isn't free it will  take hard work to stay consistent when the world   tries to distract you it'll take hard work to  learn the skills required for long-term success   it'll take hard work to become the leader  you're meant to be some people in network   marketing become unhappy when they realize work is  involved most of them join for some sort of free   ride when they experience growing pains they run  for the hills be different it might take hard work   but it's good work and it's the best way  i know for the average person to enjoy network marketing can be challenging  it's an emotional experience   the ups and downs can be dramatic but in the  end for so many reasons it's all worth it   the career you'll create if you decide to  become a network marketing professional   you'll not only create an income for  yourself but you'll create a career   i think about this a lot consider the skills  required to be a doctor a lawyer a big company ceo   or even a world-class musician you're talking  about a high level of skill and a fairly high   level of income now consider the skills necessary  to become a network marketing professional   they are tiny in comparison and yet many network  marketing professionals enjoy a higher level of   income and most certainly a higher degree of  freedom if you look at any career there's a   barrier of entry how hard it is to get in and a  long-term benefit what you get if you do get in   for example a doctor might have 12 years of school  plus an internship that takes intelligence some of   us don't have money some of us don't have or even  possibly contacts some of us don't have at the   end they get to enjoy long-term benefit although  many of them would say the benefit wasn't worth   the investment there's always a ratio between  the barrier of entry and the long-term benefit   there's no question in my mind that of all the  professions in the world the profession of network   marketing has the best ratio when you compare  the low barrier of entry with the high long-term   return one of the best decisions in my life was  making a career out of network marketing instead   of just messing around becoming a professional  made all the difference and now it's great fun   to spend a good portion of my time helping other  people do the same thing the freedom you'll enjoy   freedom is an interesting word when it comes to  work i think we understand the concept but not   the entire meeting for me freedom means having  choices it means living the life i want to live   instead of the life other people want me to live  do you remember the imagination you had as a child   imagine your life without limits you wake up  when you're done sleeping you're doing work that   is fulfilling and makes you happy you get to work  with people you enjoy you don't have to compromise   all the time you work when you feel like working  but you also play when you feel like playing   you get to spend tons of time with the people  who are important to you you're living a big   life and not wasting away in a box when you get  a clear picture of what freedom is about you'll   find the price you need to pay to achieve it in  network marketing is very low facing your fears   and living a life that's free is easy spending  the rest of your days living half a life is hard   the lives you'll touch it's one thing to  create freedom for yourself and your family   it's another thing all together to help someone  else do the same there's so many people struggling   in this world you have the ability to help  people see a bigger picture for themselves   you can give hope to the hopeless you can  encourage their dreams you can provide   them with the inspiration necessary to face and  overcome their fears one of my greatest joys is   to appear in someone else's testimonial it's great  to hear that someone was lost in some small way   i was able to help them find their way network  marketing allows you to do this on a big scale   not only can you help one person but you can help  hundreds even thousands to live a better life and   the exciting thing is that's just the beginning  it's just like throwing a rock into a pond when it   hits the water you see the ripples growing larger  and larger until they hit every edge of the pond   in network marketing sometimes you don't see all  the ripples you might be aware of the impact you   had on one person's life and maybe one or two  more ripples but they keep growing whether you   see them or not that's why i do what i do it's why  i wrote this book i know people will be positively   impacted and that's a stone thrown in the water  but then they'll make a positive impact on others   and the ripples begin and those people will  do the same and over and over and over again   with network marketing you  really can make a difference   the people you'll meet network marketing  has introduced me to the most amazing people   this profession gives you the chance to not only  expand your group of friends but also to be able   to spend more time with them you'll never find  a more passionate group of entrepreneurs in any   other profession these people love life and spend  their time lifting each other up here's an example   of what that means to me and what it can mean  for you you can name virtually any state in the   united states or any other country in the world  and a friend instantly pops into my mind network   marketing has also introduced me to many of my  heroes i've been lucky enough to share the stage   and become friends with great people including  anthony robbins brian tracy dennis waitley   the late stephen covey tom peters les brown the  late augmentino david bach robert kiyosaki harvey   mckay art williams ken blanchard tom rath  daniel pink mark victor hansen jack canfield   jeffrey gittimer gary vaynerchuk tom hopkins and  many many others on top of all that i've been able   to learn from more million dollar mlm learners  than i could count all of them have had a positive   impact on my life and my career this profession  also helped introduce me to my amazing wife marina   i was in moscow for a big mlm training event  and she was attending that event with her family   because she could speak multiple languages  she was helping to translate backstage   i was smitten our first date was in red square  at midnight after the event with the snow softly   falling around us i'll never forget it we've  been together ever since i'm not saying you'll   find the love of your life in mlm but i am saying  you'll find friendships that will last a lifetime   the places you'll see if you build a large and  successful network marketing business a few   things will happen first you'll win some trips  that will be trips of a lifetime second you're   going to need to support your organization as  they expand into every territory or country where   your company does business and third you're gonna  have enough money and time to go wherever you like   it's been said that your life can be measured  by the number and intensity of your experiences   if that's true i've already lived a very long life  i've been to every state in the united states with   the exception of alaska and i'll remedy that soon  i've also been to about 40 countries around the   world i've gone diving at the great barrier reef  in australia toured the hagia sofia in istanbul   visited the twin towers in malaysia boated around  james bond island off the coast of thailand   visited the tent cities in nigeria ridden the  huge ferris wheel in the port of singapore had   a private tour of the white house watched the  sunrise on new year's day at the grand canyon   enjoyed a 30-course meal at the  world famous el bulli in spain   crews through the canals of amsterdam ridden a  hot air balloon over the rocky mountains rented an   entire cruise ship for two thousand of my friends  to sail to the bahamas had dinner under the stars   at the top of the hotel de paris in monaco visited  my heritage in norway sailed the black sea off the   coast of the ukraine witnessed the amazing sistine  chapel in rome golfed at saint andrews in scotland   watched a world cup match in ireland and  prayed at the wailing wall in jerusalem   all of this and so much more was made possible  because i embraced the great profession of network   marketing the same can happen for you the causes  you can contribute to there are lots of worthy   causes you might want to give to your parents or  someone else in your family or to an organization   that means something to you in 2011 i asked harvey  mckay best-selling author as well as a wildly   successful businessman and community activist  for his secret to success he told me his story   eric my father sat me down after i graduated  from the university of minnesota at age 21. i   was a little bit cocky going to take on the world  going to start at the top and work my way up and   he said harvey 25 one fourth of your life starting  now is going to be devoted to volunteerism now i   didn't know what that meant other than i started  volunteering for everything heart cancer united   way boy scouts march of dimes salvation army  everything let me tell you what that experience   has done for me my entire life being on all those  boards and being involved in all those charities   i became a better communicator i became a better  leader i became a better salesperson because all   i was doing was raising money for the more than  20 boards that i've been on i became a better   sales manager and can you imagine how many  new people i met by just being a volunteer   my network grew tremendously but the biggest thing  that happened was my sense of being a citizen of   the world to know that you've helped another  human being and to be able to see the results   it's an unbelievable feeling i'm so thankful  to my father because his advice changed my   life this interview changed my life because  it impacted my thinking on contribution i'd   always thought that there was really only one  way to help a worthy cause and that was with   your money but after my conversation with harvey  i realized that there was three ways to help the   first is with your money of course you can write  a check and that's wonderful network marketing can   allow you to write bigger checks than you could  ever imagine before the second is with your time   like harvey said you can dedicate a portion of  your life to causes that are important to you   he chose 25 percent you could choose whatever  you'd like but i'd encourage you to choose   and by time i don't mean just volunteering a few  hours here and there at the shelter or something   i mean give your time to creative thinking  raising awareness and raising money and the   third is probably most important and that is with  your influence take the time you're going to spend   on your cause and put all of your influence behind  it inspire your organization to do something   great with you encourage your company to get  involved leverage your network to do great things   you are powerful and more so because of  your involvement in network marketing   use that influence for good it'll  change your life for the better   the person you'll become in the process network  marketing changed my life for the better   because it forced me to become a better person  as a profession we move products and services to   the customers who want them but our real purpose  is much deeper at its core this profession is an   incubator for personal growth you'll learn how to  face your fears you learn how to solve problems   you learn how to feed your mind with positives and  protect your mind from negatives you'll learn how   to grow stronger you'll learn how to lead when i  first started out in this profession i did almost   everything out of fear i was afraid i wouldn't  succeed i was afraid i was going to run out of   prospects i was afraid i was going to miss out  on the opportunity but over time that fear went   away i decided to focus on myself and my skills  instead of all the things i couldn't control   and then everything became clear i learned the  true secret of network marketing the greatest   benefit isn't getting what you want the greatest  benefit is what you'll need to become in order   to get what you want i learned what was always  there and what has been passed down for ages   the journey is everything thank you for taking  this journey with me let me conclude by sharing   what i say at the end of every network marketing  pro video ladies and gentlemen my wish for you   is that you decide to become a network  marketing professional that you decide   to go pro because it is a stone cold fact that  we have a better way now let's go tell the world