Five Steps to Resuscitate Your Dead MLM Downline!
By Kevin A. Lehmann on in Entrepreneurship
One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face in building a successful Network Marketing business is to keep your organization motivated and producing—a monumental task that’s easier said than done.
A myriad of competition, e.g., other opportunities, the internet, TV, video games, iPhones, sports, romantic interests, family activities, and church to name few, are merely outward symptoms for what’s going on inside their minds. Besides, how dead can they really be if they have the energy for all those other activities, yet complain that they are not succeeding?
The root of the problem lies within their psyche: either the lack of proper intangible attributes, or the inability to exercise and strengthen the core characteristics that make up a bonafide entrepreneur.
At the same token, while it’s easy to blame your downline for lack of focus and productivity, just like the root of one’s lack of productivity can be traced to ones psyche, so too can the problem of building an anemic downline be traced to a recruiters mindset and marketing methodology.
Although it’s a discussion for another time, not everyone you attract through your sales and marketing savvy is cut out to be a Network Marketer, much less an entrepreneur. The bigger problem lies in the flawed philosophy of “Attraction Marketing.” Although I was an early pioneer of attraction marketing, I would no more employ it today than I would recruit a monastery of monks.
The fact is a good 85 to 90% of the people that make up the Network Marketing profession are in the wrong business. And a good 90% of those people are not even cut out to be entrepreneurs. This speaks to the marketing methods employed today—including tantalizing copy writing, bonus giveaways, outlandish promises, free reports, free newsletters, free product samples, free training, free this and free that.
While it may be suitable for “Affiliate Marketing,” Attraction Marketing is a recipe for long-term failure in Network Marketing. Just like niche marketing is the key to success on the Internet, that same concept, or what I coin “Profile Prospecting” is the future of succeeding—long term—in Network Marketing.
I am currently writing a dissertation on the marketing philosophy of “Profile Prospecting,” and the impending apostasy from traditional Network Marketing orthodoxy, which I hope to have completed in the coming weeks.
The Network Marketing profession as a whole is in disarray. Distributors are disenfranchised, disingenuous, and becoming more disinterested by the day. Not to mention that Network Marketing is often confused with Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, and offline Direct Marketing—three very distinctly different business models and methodologies for moving goods and services. Although there is a smattering of very professional and highly successful MLM distributors abroad, Network Marketing as a whole continues to fight the perpetual PR battle in the court of public opinion as it’s commonly disrespected by both the general public and the legislature. The profession is in need of not only a monumental facelift, but of comprehensive reform and a major paradigm shift in its strategic philosophy, at least for those who look upon it as their vehicle for achieving financial freedom and a better quality of life.
That said, Network Marketing is a proven business model—for companies more so than independent distributors—that if done correctly, few other business opportunities can match for the home-based business entrepreneur.
If you’re currently experiencing the effects of an anemic or moribund organization, here are five steps you can take right now to resuscitate your dead downline.
1. Discover their passion
Strive to know your distributors on a personal level. What exactly are their dreams, their ambitions, and their goals in life? It’s important that they know why they’re doing the business. The “why” creates the fire and the fuel required to reach those dreams. Moreover, it births the passion, which in turn creates the determination that’s needed to overcome any hurdles or roadblocks along the way. It’s easy to lose sight of the end goal when one is mired in the day to day monotony of building the business. Keep them focused on where they are going, not on where they currently are.
2. Have them develop a goal-getting list
They can’t arrive at their final destination if they don’t know where that is. Have your distributors take inventory of their lives: physical, mental, and financial. Where are they now, where do they want to be, and why do they want to get there? Remember, Network Marketing is not an ordinary profession, for most participants it’s a way of life. Connect with your downline personally, but don’t babysit them.
3. Have them make a covenant agreement with themselves
That’s right, ask them the price they’re willing to pay and what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to achieve their objective. Have them put this commitment in writing, a binding contract with self so to speak, including date and signature. Then have them pronounce it to their family and friends by spoken word, and place the document right above their toilet, their headboard, or smack in the middle of their favorite mirror.
4. Make sure they are conditioned for success
A lot of people who struggle to succeed don’t believe they’re worthy of success. Ironic, I know, considering the fact that they’ve chosen an entrepreneurial endeavor such as Network Marketing. Like I referenced earlier, the majority of people in your downline don’t belong in the profession. The fact of the matter is, the numbers don’t lie. This speaks to the flawed philosophy of attraction marketing and the lack of “Profile Prospecting.” But that’s not to say that certain people in your downline can’t be resuscitated with a little prodding and correct thinking. Help them evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. For example, they might be dripping with desire, but lack self-esteem. Perhaps they have a strong belief in you, the company, and the opportunity, but little to no faith in themselves. If they’re a Christian, perhaps they errantly believe that money is the root of all evil when in fact it’s the love of money that the Bible refers to as the root of all evil. It’s important they start with the right frame of mind and a crystal-clear set of values.
5. Make sure they have a game plan
They can have all of their “ducks in a row,” so to speak, but if they lack a game plan then it’s all just wasted energy. All the belief in the world coupled with a large dose of faith and a ton of self-esteem won’t overcome the lack of a well-planned strategy. Tactics can change overtime depending on their oppositions, but they must have a game plan to start.
There you have it, “5 Steps to Resuscitating your Dead Downline.” They work. I know. And in this man’s opinion, it has to be easier than giving birth.
For more informative articles on Entrepreneurship and Network Marketing, visit my blog at CatchKevin.com
Get Real & Go Rogue!
Kevin A. Lehmann
www.catchkevin.com
6 Comment(s)
By Barrett on Jul 1, 2010 | Reply
Hey Kevin,
BRAVO !! Finally, someone honestly addresses this topic with refreshing candor. I have submitted comments like this (not so eloquently or convincingly as you) and nary a response. Let me repeat it in your own words here….
The fact is a good 85 to 90% of the people that make up the Network Marketing profession are in the wrong business. And a good 90% of those people are not even cut out to be entrepreneurs. This speaks to the marketing methods employed today—including tantalizing copy writing, bonus giveaways, outlandish promises, free reports, free newsletters, free product samples, free training, free this and free that.
That blows the lid off this unspoken reality !
The term you’ve used, “Profile Prospecting”, is more authentic, real and transparent…The way it should be.
I must admit, I often feel like I might be in that 85-90% group but my goals and aspirations keep me aligned with the leaders, though sometimes from a distance. I’m a work in progress.
Thanks Kevin. I look forward to your follow-up submission.
By Faith Barnard on Jul 1, 2010 | Reply
I am fortunate to have an amazing team of leaders and I do have parts of my organization where some individuals have lost their vision.
I agree with your points above and creating agreements and finding out your associates goals, passions and dreams is essential to assisting them in getting what they desire out of their business.
I think one of the biggest challenges for people entering network marketing isn’t just the negative perception some individuals have of the profession but the over all fear of the unknown.
We are taught through the school system to be employees not entrepreneurs. Also,most people participating in a network marketing business don’t fully understand the business model.
I love Don Failla’s system Own Your Life because it teaches what network marketing is not and what it truly is a teaching and training business.
Thank you for the great post.
Faith
By Kevin A. Lehmann on Jul 1, 2010 | Reply
Goals and aspirations are indeed a big part of the puzzle in Network Marketing. Leadership is often an abstract term that can be defined in a myriad of ways depending upon the prism through which you view it, e.g., leadership through influence, action, example, or service. An upline’s financial success doesn’t automatically denote leadership qualities. That’s not to imply that the leaders in your company don’t have bonafide leadership qualities, or are in fact leaders.
Self-introspection and brutally honest personal assessment is the toughest test of transparency. Camaraderie and a sense of belonging and purpose is the overwhelming and tacit reason that most people are even in Network Marketing, not for the income opportunity or even the perceived freedom. That’s not detrimental in itself, just to those that are looking to Network Marketing for financial freedom and that want to build an organization of producers and go-getters. The age of technology and extensive research capabilities, particularly in psychoanalytics, will allow one to “precision prospect” based on profiling people in advance. It brings the term “high tech / high touch” to a whole other realm.
Don’t be afraid to break from the pack Barrett. It wasn’t until I went “rogue” as a distributor myself that my MLM career turned profitable . . . very profitable.
By Kevin A. Lehmann on Jul 1, 2010 | Reply
Don Failla was one of the first authors I ever read on MLM back in the mid 80′s. Great guy. Thanks for the comment.
By Steve Woodis on Jul 2, 2010 | Reply
Great article Kevin. I agree wholeheartedly. The thing I have found that works the best is using “High Yielding Questions” to find out what it is that really motivated them to look at the business opportunity in the first place. Breaking out on your own for most people is really scary. I also think another huge factor is the lack of comprehension that this truly is a “business.” This is every bit as serious as plunking down 250K for a subway franchise. You have to work it every day.
Good job again with the article and hope to read more in the future.
By Karen Roy on Jul 2, 2010 | Reply
Great article and I posted the link on my facebook wall with the message that I believe we should all heed- to check our own pulse while we are working on the resuscitating…