As a veteran network marketer and business owner who has walked the trail of tears, I am weary of the lies and deceit that pervades the industry.Too many people join a MLM home based business based on the promise of wealth and fortune alone. They enroll with the simple idea that all they have to do is “sign up three who will get three who get three”. The concept sounds so simple that they jump right in, and after a short period of time, quit because “the system” didn’t work for them.While MLM home based businesses have various compensation plans, the traditional MLM model of “three who get three who get three” is an example I am using here. It is a simple business model that looks easy to do. Simply, it is a business template that a company implements to help the company’s representatives market the company’s products and grow their business. The process of building a MLM home based business requires much more effort and desire to succeed than is seen on the surface.While it’s true that there is potential to make a lot of money in this industry, it is also true that it takes time and effort to envision the opportunity as an ongoing journey. When people join a MLM home based business solely because of the promise of wealth and fortune, it doesn’t take long before they are checking out and are never heard from again. The reason? Greed is not a long-term motivator. Most want to get rich quick and when that doesn’t happen, they quit.A Key to SuccessIn my opinion, a key to succeeding in this industry is having a strong belief and passion for the company and its products or services.It’s interesting that many sales training books don’t elaborate on the need for belief and passion to succeed in business. I believe all of the attributes of a great sales person are backed by a passion of some type. In our case, passion is an intense, extreme, or overpowering feeling for a cause represented by the company’s products or services.The authors of sales books talk about having the right mental attitude – that is, desiring, to succeed, setting goals and achieving them, and becoming a great leader. How do you find the drive to enact these without a passion for the MLM home based business – and its products – you have chosen to build? For example, how can you have a positive mental attitude about your business without having a belief and passion for it?Too many people are brought into a MLM home based business because of the promise of an easy business to do and a ton of money to be made in a short period of time. Oh, the products and services are presented, but the major push is on the big money that can be made.The challenges we all faceWhen beginning a MLM home based business, so many challenges lie ahead. Here are just a few that a new owner may confront:
· Complacency – many new business owners never get started. They are afraid they don’t know enough or don’t know where or how to start
· Anxiety and fear about sharing the business or the products and services to people, including friends and family – becoming a secret agent of the business. What will they think about me?
· Fear of rejection – a “no” for some people is a nail to the heart. They would rather sleep on nails than be told “no”.
· Fear of failing – nobody likes to lose. A few “no’s”, and the very thing that’s feared actually becomes reality.
· Negative self-talk – that inner voice saying, “I told you this wouldn’t work. What were you thinking, joining this business anyway?”
· Lack of strong leadership – another reason many people fail in a home-based business. No leadership and guidance means trying to do something that has never done before and doing it right the first time. That isn’t likely to happen.
· Giving up – it doesn’t take long for the new business partner to say, “Maybe this business isn’t for me. It just didn’t work out.”When a person starts a MLM home based business for the wrong reasons — primarily greed, wealth and fortune, and the desire to get rich quickly — then all of the aforementioned factors will have an adverse affect.When enrolling because of belief in the company, the MLM home business owner often has very positive experiences with the products and services offered and becomes a passionate evangelist for those products and the company. Add to that a strong leadership team that keeps the business owner plugged into the latest news and product information; teaches solid skills training; and consistently gives positive feedback and encouragement, a strong belief and passion slowly will begin to develop. This will go a long way in enabling endurance for the many challenges that lie ahead.Passion will make a differenceLook at what can happen when belief and passion for the products and services are the key reasons for signing up for the MLM home based business opportunity:· Because belief and passion are so high with the products and services, the business owner is compelled to share them with friends and family; thus, no longer operating like a secret agent.
· When belief and passion are the driving forces within the business owner, complacency no longer exists. Likewise, issues that once were barriers to getting started are now banished.
· Knowing that the fundamental purpose in any business is to “show and tell” the company’s products and services, the business owner understands that everyone does not have the same feelings about what is offered; everyone is not the niche prospect. He markets accordingly, letting the prospect be the one to decide if the products and services are right for him, and knowing that a “no” to the offer is not a personal rejection.
· Understanding that the mission of sharing the business and the difference it can make in the life of another person, the business owner discovers that the fear of failure and negative self-talk disappear when leading with passion.
· No matter how slow the start, the business owner understands that quitting is not an option, that owning a business is a long-term mission and there’s no challenge too big to conquer.In all of the years I have been involved in MLM home based businesses, I have yet to see anyone climb to the top of the mountain and stay there for the long-term without a belief and passion. Oh, yes, I have seen people — through the passion of getting rich quickly — climb to the top, but it is built upon greed and not upon sound principles. Their business is built like a house of cards and in a short period of time, many fall apart.It is imperative that anyone desiring to build a MLM home based business for the long run must have a passion for the company and its products and services. That passion will attract others who also want to be a part of the marketing campaign. They, too, will embrace the owner’s passion, and this will drive them to success, too.Check out the top leaders who have been with a company for many years. Their passion for what they do will be evident. It is rare to find anyone at the top for any length of time just because they saw the money.So, it is necessary that a potential home business owner — before signing up with any MLM home based business — must research the company to make sure it is all that is written about it. It is essential to use the products and services for a period of time to make sure that there is a positive experience with them. Check out the leadership and make sure they have the experience and a system that will insure success. And, finally, a potential MLM home business owner must ask himself if this is a business that he can believe in and could eventually have a passion to build.It’s only when the answer is “yes” to these questions that signing up and becoming involved with any MLM home based business opportunity should even be considered.Too many people get into this industry for the wrong reasons and that is why they fail. Joining for the right reasons will make a huge difference in succeeding or failing. Passion is a key reason for successful growth in any business – either a present one or a future one.