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MLM Training - 9 Proven Actions to Get Your Downline Producing More
By Tim Sales
Network Marketing leaders frequently ask me, "How do I motivate my downline?" The answer doesn't have anything to do with motivation. Read on and I'll share the only thing I have ever found that really works to motivate an MLM organization to be productive.
First, let's get clear on what is meant by the question - How do I motivate my MLM downline? It means, "What can I do to get them to produce more?"
This is one of my favorite subjects because it's so misunderstood. Historically people have tried the most asinine things in an attempt to "motivate" human beings. Slavery and threatening of life, rallies and hype-driven events, even people running across hot coals. The US Navy has done many different experiments to try to get men to produce more. They've tested whether men who go out drinking together produce more. They've put men who hated each other together and men who were best friends together to see which would produce more.
None of these have worked...for very long. People can come out of a Tony Robbins event super excited and "motivated." But after a day or two - maybe even a week - they're back to their previous production level.
I might as well go ahead and let the cat out of the bag because he's practically ripping the bag open at this point. YOU CAN'T MOTIVATE YOUR DOWNLINE! But you can get them to produce more. Which is what you really want FOR them and FROM them anyway.
To get your downline to DO more, to get them to exhibit confidence, cheerfulness, and discipline requires you to do two things...GET THEM EFFECTIVE AT WHAT THEY DO with good MLM training and make it in their interest to do it. The US Navy concluded that when production was high, more production occurred.
Effective MLM training is the only thing that truly works. So for you - trying to get your downline to produce more - or produce anything - you must train them. You might be saying, "But I train my people every Saturday! I give them a training manual. I do conference calls." I realize you may have been working very hard at training your downline. But, the test of effective M.L.M training is not whether you conduct training. It's whether the student can do it! NOTHING ELSE.
Here's how and what I recommend you train your downline on.
+ How to establish goals
+ How and what to know to be effective (most of which is on this list)
+ How to promote
+ What to say to people when they make phone calls
+ How to set appointments
+ How to present the MLM business or products
+ How to sell the MLM business or products
+ How to sponsor people (the correct procedures and sequence)
+ How to train new distributors
To get your downline to produce and produce more, you need to get them effective in each one of these areas. When they can do each of these things, they will be motivated because they are effective. They WILL produce because they feel ABLE to produce.
I did not just come up with this MLM success system overnight. I worked it up and down until it worked. I got the concept from something I learned in the bomb squad.
Before my network marketing career, I was in the US Navy Underwater Bomb Squad. Only one man is allowed to go work on a live bomb. No sense in blowing two bomb-techs up because of one man's mistake! When we headed down to work on the bomb, we took a piece of plexiglass and a grease pencil. When we were getting ready to do the first step of defusing the bomb we would:
a) Write what we were going to do.
b) Do the item.
c) Check it off as being done.
Then go to step two. Write it down, do it, then check it off. The reason we did this exact sequence is because if the bomb blew up, the other bomb squad techs knew that very valuable information was written on that piece of plexiglass. When they retrieved the plexiglass they would see that item 1 and 2 were okay to do. But item 3 upset the bomb - don't do that step!
The items written on that Plexiglas became our "Standard Operating Procedures." Obviously leaving out that last step that upset the bomb! It was our sequence of defusing that bomb when we faced it again. I applied the same principles to network marketing and the above list of activities. These activities are the only activities that make money in network marketing.
As a coach, if you have your distributor keep a record of how many times he/she does each activity you can coach the exact item that THAT distributor is having a problem with. If you don't use this list and try to coach - you're coaching on what you think the group needs. Or you're coaching a "pet" category of your own. I've observed closely new distributors. They don't "engage" into the business until they feel confident in what to say to their prospects. Therefore, they need to know how to do items 1-5 before you have them on the phone. See, it doesn't make sense to know how to do New Distributor Training before they know how to set appointments. I've known lots of distributors who've quit that still know the compensation plan. I know plenty of failed distributors who know how to train a new distributor who have never sponsored anyone.
I don't know a lot of distributors who have quit who can set appointments and have the prospect show up. My point is, to really have MLM success you need to first train your distributors to be able to invite, and then train them how to present, and then train them how to train.
Other items important in getting your downline to produce:
1. Ethical behavior. People will not follow (or produce for) someone who is unethical or dishonest.
2. Boldness. People will follow boldness because they like following in the footsteps of a bold leader. What does it take to be bold? You must be productive yourself. Let your MLM downline see you face your fears. Let them see you make phone calls, let them see you do presentations, let them see you standing there waiting for your guests.
3. Be interested in them. Show your people that you are interested in their goals. Put your front line's goals on your refrigerator. Talk to them about their goals. This is where the "make it in their interest to do it" comes in.
4. Be the source of information. Always be up-to-date on the latest information. This means you stay connected to the company's source of information. Also, teach your downline where your sources are - otherwise you will always be stuck with the job.
I think you can tell that I don't agree with the philosophy of "leaders are found not made." Train your MLM distributors to be effective and they will be self-motivated. This is very different from you trying to "pump them up," which doesn't work.
About the Author
Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com
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