How to build your own Network Marketing team and keep your business partners motivated

Building a strong Network Marketing team, with highly motivated members, is all about growth, duplication, qualifications and gains. Even though most people who join this field initially want to succeed and have a promising start, along the way they start to lose motivation, and even give up.

In this article I talk specifically about how to build a team in Network Marketing and how to keep them motivated.

My name is Karina Rodian, I am a sales, personal and business development coach and trainer since 2018. I have been developing my own business in Network Marketing for 3 years.

During these years I’ve held online and offline events with thousands of people in this industry, Masterclasses and coaching sessions. Everything you will read in this article, comes from my own experience and “been there!”.

I know what it’s like to lose your team, your motivation and your income. I’ve faced challenges in recruiting, sales and leadership. So I understand. I’ve often been on the verge of quitting. BUT! something happened. 🙂

The people I asked so much of and grew with at an impressive global pace started coming to me. I’m sure you’ve heard the exhortation to “plant seeds” too. Without realising it, I had begun to reap the fruits of previous work, that which I thought was useless, without results, just as I was about to give up.

You’ll probably tell me now, that you wish to enjoy the fruits of your previous work too. Know that no matter what your field of work or the company you work with, the secret is quality networking.

I invite you to continue reading the article. I’ll reveal some of the secrets that have helped me.

But because theory that is not put into practice remains just information and does not produce results, I recommend that you apply what you learn from this material.

How do you find the right people for your team?

Identify in the first phase what kind of people you want in your team. Who would you like to work with? What qualities should these people have?

The nice thing about our field is that we get to choose our business partners. Once you’ve established these things, you’ll know who you’re looking for and, more importantly, where to look.

When I decided that I needed people on my team who were serious, open to learning, ambitious and results and earnings oriented, that’s exactly the type of people who came to me.

In other words, ask for what you want clearly and in detail, so that when you get what you ask for, it will be to your liking and needs.

Two of the advantages of Network Marketing are that:

  1. we all start at the same level
  2. we can choose the people we want to work with.

It’s not enough to ask for our business partners (in detail), they must also want to be part of our team, and follow us. People are attracted to our energy, authenticity and attitude.

Recruiting should be a fun process of connecting and engaging, open conversations.

In case you have challenges attracting the right partners, below are some things to keep in mind when embarking on recruitment:

1. You’re not clear why you’re recruiting – recruiting is the opposite of selfish. Let me explain what I mean: the benefits you get from your business and the nature of the business, such as earnings, flexibility of hours, ease of placing orders online, quality of products, etc. are the main reasons to talk to other people and want to help them benefit from all of this.

The opposite is not telling about all this, i.e. having the solutions to the problems and keeping them to yourself, thus being selfish. I tell you honestly that anyone who tries, in an unselfish way, to help others has an enormous advantage.

I’ll give you an example from my experience: when I joined Network Marketing, my sponsor talked to me about how I could earn a few hundred euros a month, working from home, a few hours a day. Basically, it touched on my need to generate extra income without further overloading my already busy schedule.

I confess that I realized then that I used to spend at least two hours a day sitting on the internet. All I did was turn that time into productive time.

The fact that he presented me with this opportunity met my needs. Because of that conversation I developed in this field, became a full-time entrepreneur and my earnings exceeded 5 times the salary I was making as an employee for 8 hours of work.

2. You’re too result-oriented and miss the journey – if you’re more interested in the outcome, i.e. having them join your team, rather than helping the people you’re talking to grow and develop for long-lasting results, you’re doing it from the wrong perspective.

In network marketing we focus on building a network (just like the domain name says) and we want it to go deep and be as long lasting as possible. This means that you as a leader make a commitment to the people who join you to give them the support and backing they need to grow, build and become leaders, exactly in the model you provide. Basically, you guide them on their journey to success.

For me it is very important to develop continuously, to learn daily, to attend all kinds of courses and to read. I consider it my responsibility to become a better leader so that I can then train other leaders who, with my help, will have a better life, earn more and have more time for what they want.

3. You go into conversations with the wrong energy – this probably isn’t the case for you, but I’ve met many people who, when they call a prospect, actually wish that prospect wouldn’t pick up the phone. When I’ve asked them why they do this they’ve told me they’re afraid of their objections and may not know what to say back.

Fear, nerves, bad moods, stress and agitation are all factors that lower energy and this is felt by the other person both in the call and in the messages. It’s the main reason why you get rejected; or have unpleasant conversations; that go in the wrong direction. Your goal is to have a smooth and pleasant conversation, not to make assumptions, think for the other person, or make all kinds of scenarios. Simply ask and then listen to the answer.

Dispel any energy that doesn’t serve you before you call or write the message. In my case it’s a cheerful song that lifts my energy, pauses for about a minute between calls or messages. I’ve also saved some of the thank you messages I get from my clients and partners, and when I need a boost of motivation I reread them.

A technique used quite often in sales is to look in the mirror when talking on the phone, it helps you feel comfortable and smile.

4. Conversing rigidly – it’s great to have a script/message to guide your conversations, but tailor it to the person you’re talking to.

You want people on your team that you can work well with for the long term, so it’s imperative to study those people beforehand. It’s most convenient to visit their social media profile, see what kind of posts they make, what their preferences are, if you have any commonalities. If for whatever reason, you don’t have access to such information, ask as many questions as possible, look for a common topic.

Surely you’ve received one of those mile-long posts at least once, containing all sorts of terms you don’t understand, and it was so impersonal that you didn’t even reply, or even read the whole thing. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Through the conversations you have you want to connect, not impress with your vast vocabulary, so be careful what words you use. The simpler the better.

Send messages that everyone understands and in short sentences. Allow the other person to respond.

Always remember that the focus in conversation is on the other person, not on you.

William King says, “The gossip is the one who tells you about other people. Boring is the one who tells you about himself. And a great talker is one who talks about you.”

Ask short questions that elicit long answers, involve emotions, and formulate statements so that, the answer is: YES!

I like to ask:

  1. Have you ever started your own business?
  2. Or have you ever thought of starting your own business?

This way we target everyone in all markets (direct, indirect, hot or cold market…)

If the answer is NO – my question is:

Why not?

Why didn’t you try it?

Why didn’t you think of it before?

That’s where I get the objections, the fears, the story.

If he answers YES, the personal story follows which I listen to and from there we continue the conversation.

5. You get too affected by rejections – in our field we all go through phases where we have rejections or people who change their minds. But, let me tell you some good news… as they change their mind and from “yes” they will say “no”, the reverse will happen.

A no is not a definitive answer, it’s just a “not now”. It can always change into a big “yes!” And without stressing your prospect out and getting a block, keep sending him a message every now and then.

I like to get back to people who have turned me down and ask them how they’re doing, how they’re doing, what’s new since our last conversation. I also go to them when I have a new promotion or a new product comes in stock, and reopen the conversation with the intention of informing them. I also ask them for recommendations:

“Hi Ana,

I’m so glad we had that conversation the other day. I know you said you weren’t interested in my offer and even though I would really like to work with you and consider you a very valuable person, rest assured that I don’t want to recruit you again. I would, however, like to ask you to recommend me if you know someone who wants …. (here you can remind them of the benefits they would have if they worked with you…an extra income, a part-time job, etc.).”

Ok, now that you’ve identified where you need to work and start applying what you’ve learned, the changes are coming and your team is starting to take shape and so are the results. But what can you do to make them stick, to keep your team members motivated and on track?

Here’s what works really well in my team:

The approach Triple A: Attention, Affirmation, Appreciation

  1. Every time I talk to my team members or prospects, I give them my attention. I confirm or remind them that I am grateful that we can work together and show them that I appreciate them.

The best leaders are those who listen.

Giving them your attention means knowing what their needs, desires, difficulties, goals, etc. are. To find all this out, you need to ask a lot of questions and write down your answers.

You may be just starting out and your team isn’t very big, but our goal is to grow and at that point you won’t be able to remember everything you’ve talked to each person.

I have an agenda and pages assigned to each team member. That makes it easier for me to remember what we’ve discussed, keep track of progress, but more importantly to remind them why they started when they seem to forget it.

90% of people leave because they are not listened to, not understood and because they feel they are not important to their leaders. Give them the attention they need and you will make a big difference.

  1. Identify people on your team who want to assert themselves, who have the traits of a leader, who take the initiative and are always there when action is needed.

These are your key people.

Delegate from your tasks to them, give them confidence and the chance to develop as leaders. Keep them close and work more intensively with them. Involve them and ask their opinion, thus giving them confirmation that they are valuable. They will offer their support and inspire other team members, who will see them as role models and want to rise to their level. It’s the dynamic you want in your team!

Those who bring us value attract us to them. Those who take away our value make us withdraw.

  1. Appreciate even the smallest results or actions!

Don’t wait for a qualification or a resounding success to appreciate, praise and reward your people. A good leader is one who sees the result before it happens. Give them recognition and appreciation for their actions, encourage and motivate them.

When the environment you create in your team is one of encouragement, support, i.e. attention, affirmation and appreciation, members will become motivated, stable and result-oriented.

And if you’re wondering how to encompass all of these aspects in conversation with one of your team members or a prospect, here’s my example:

“Hi Lucia,

I noticed you have a lot of energy today, and by the way, congratulations on your latest post, I really liked the content.”

In about 30 seconds I told her I noticed a change, i.e. I paid attention to her, gave her a compliment which confirmed she was on the right track, and complimented her post, congratulating her in front of others.

How do you think she felt? What about the other participants in the team session?

Success in dealing with your team members, or with your prospects and clients, depends on a careful understanding of the other person’s point of view.

Apply what you’ve read and get ready to lead your team to the next level!

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