Great ideas are a dime a dozen.

All those special ingredients and ‘propriety blends’ that we’re so excited about won’t make us 10 cents in most cases.

Those ‘revolutionary’ marketing plans…..designed ‘for distributors by distributors‘ aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.

All the enthusiasm we have about the product and the plan, might as well throw in the credibility of the company too, useless?

Yup.

And it this excitement coupled with a lack of specialized knowledge, that makes people easy targets for all these ‘magic systems’ that will sponsors 20,30….80 people in a matter of days.  There is another ‘LAUNCH’ Monday of one of these bogus, only those lacking common sense would believe or buy programs.  And, it will do great…..not great things for the people who buy it…..just for the dream-weaving pied-pipers who sell it.

The biggest reason for this is simple.

Somehow networkers have convinced one another that our business is different.  And, in some ways, it is…..BUT…..that difference does not EXEMPT it from the principles of running a successful business.

The tool peddling pied-pipers use a very old method……it’s called…….. ‘Hook->Path->Persuasion

The ‘hook‘ is huge, claims of massive sponsoring numbers…..and since you may be sponsoring 1-2 a month…….and would like to ‘go faster’ …….you feel INFERIOR…..they couple this with the NATURAL desire of wanting your business to grow [that is a normal and good thing]……BANG…….the hook is set…..

They bring you down the path…..without realizing it……what path?  You can get these numbers too!  I will show you how!  I want to help you! I struggled too!

They want you emotionally involved, not intellectually.  Good business decisions are not made emotionally, re: The Godfather, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” 🙂

Let’s take a look at some sound business models, unemotionally…..

Since over 60% of the money we spend is in franchises, burgers, print shops, oil changes, mufflers, etc., I think it’s a pretty good place to make my point about Networking/Residual Income etc., being worth about a buck…..maybe less.

Franchising consultants agree that a ‘good idea is worth about a buck but a plan to put it in play is worth millions.’  Facts bear this out.

We spent, as a nation over $110,000,000,000 [yup billion]  in Fast Food [it ain’t fast and it’s barely food :)], last year.

They work.  Why?

Duplication and sound business principles.   The same, exact same, things we want as networkers.

Duplication ……and a business, not a hobby.  We can learn a lot from these folks.

Now that question should not put you in a ‘my business is better than a franchise’ state of mind.  But that is precisely what most networkers do…..instead of learning we instantly migrate to why our business is ‘better’ and block our ability to learn, copy, grow and flourish.

$110,000,000,000?  In food franchises alone?  YIKES.

Here is where we fall down and why we fail so many people who join us.  We get the duplication part…..but we don’t get the business part.

Every networker alive has heard the phrase, “Treat is like a hobby, it’ll pay you like a hobby.  Treat it like a business, it’ll pay you like a business.”  Sadly, even as we are saying it we don’t treat it like a business.

What does that mean?

We talk duplication and business but most people fail to look at business principles while we are preaching the hobby-business mantra and have blinded ourselves to being able to learn anything from any other model with the knee-jerk, “let me tell you why networking is better than XXXXXX.’

Let’s look at one simple aspect of a successful model and COMPARE instead of COMPETE, would that be OK with you?

I mean, what are you buying when you buy a franchise?

  • A name
  • A business plan
  • A support team

Good leaders get this, bad leaders don’t.

The better leaders in networking have a plan that is big picture BUT is consists of smaller pictures that lead new folks to the bigger picture, step-by-step.

A bunch of guys with saws, hammers, nails and wood standing by a foundation does not mean they are going to build a house or anything recognizeable.  Just because there is a lot of sawing and hammering going on some leaders in networking think they are doing their job.

Good leaders have a plan for themselves and they realize each person on the team needs a plan…… a specific plan.

How many hours is the new rep putting in this week?  Are you depending on his/her sponsor who is new or are you involved and helping both of them plan their work and then work their plan.

100% of the time new people spend should be recruiting ……80% once the group starts to grow.  Same with you, me and everyone else.

Really want the big picture?  Got a plan?

….or is there just a lot of hammering going on?

Be honest.

KEY FRANCHISE LESSON

They take inventory everyday.

Any business that does not take inventory is not in business long.

Our inventory is NOT how many bottles or tubes we have of our product.

It is how much time did we spend on the Main Thing, recruiting & sponsoring.

Inventory, a sound business principle for any business, is simple for us.

  1. How many hours did we commit to last week
  2. Look in our appointment book
  3. Did we put in those hours?
  4. Was 80% or more in The Main Thing
  5. Make the correction

Here are 7 questions I picked up years ago….to keep me in touch with the fact, despite wanting to be different, this is a business and needs to adhere to certain business princples to be successful.

  1. What is you plan?
  2. Is it written down?
  3. It is clear?
  4. Can you communicate it?
  5. Is it workable?
  6. Can you implement it?
  7. here comes the BIG one…..When will you begin?

I do what is known as an OATS with reps every week I am working with……here is a blog about OATS that may help.

Yes, networking is different…..but, in the end, it is a business.

believe

mark januszewski

world’s laziest networker

About the Author

  • For a short time I was caught up in some of these “systems”. I quickly learned that the only person making money was the developer of these amazing recruiting machines.

    Thanks Mark for your trainings. I just started with them and already feel I am on my way to making significant changes with my business.

  • That’s a game winning 3 point swish in overtime. Sobering…the truth.

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