sponsor more with stories

Relax!

You’ve been sponsoring people your whole life.

I love the old saying, “As soon as a network marketer uses common sense they double their paycheck.”

And it’s true.

Whether you realize it or not the crazy incomes that people can and do make in MLM suck the common sense right out of us.

Twain wrote, “Common sense isn’t so common.”  Not only was he right… he was dead center correct about us MLMers.

Why?

We’ve been conditioned by schools, government, parents, coaches… that achievement, talent, resources, and hard work are linked.  Permanently.

Think about the well-meaning people that taught us that.   They were in the swapping time for money choice.   And that is a great choice for some people.  This nonsense that working for someone else is a bad idea must be abandoned.

You simply cannot beat the crap out of someone’s choice, try to make him or her feel dumb for their life’s work and then expect them to make a positive decision.  Good Grief.

But the damage is greater to us on a far deeper level.

This means, on some level, in our minds, to make the kind of BIG money we hear about we’ve got to do something special.

And we do something special… unfortunately, what we do next is NOT network marketing.

As soon as I stopped engaging in beating up traditional ways of earning, stopped living in an ‘us against them’ mentality, trying to make the marketing plan seem like the thing that was going to ‘save them’ (even though they never said they wanted to be saved) and started thinking about what network marketing REALLY was, I relaxed and found out with very, very few words how to make a great income by doing something I already knew how to do.

Network marketing success does not require talent, leadership skills, nor for you to be a great presenter or closer.   Most big earners are none of those things.

Here’s what I discovered that changed MLM from fear and frustration to peace and prosperity.

Be a great storyteller

People love stories.  They hate pressure-packed sales pitches.

Really, think about the last time you had a great experience and shared it with someone.

I remember my bride, The Fabulous Davene, sharing with her friends her trips to Kauai.  And how she wanted to live on Kauai.

And with our daughters.

And they would sit there, fascinated.

Davene was excited, enthusiastic but she was herself.

Probably no different than when she was in high school telling her friends about a J. Geils concert.

And I noticed something in the stories she’d tell as she described the experience – the ‘senses’ all people have in common.

I made some notes and discovered a pattern.

I tried it out and the results shifted dramatically.  Taught it to team members.  Big bump in the results.  Turned it into a skill and it’s not only made us a lot of money; more importantly, it’s made our team members boatloads of money.

Think of it this way.  You’ve just come back from a trip to Italy.  Do you tell your friends about the plane and the fabric on the seats or the pasta and people you met?

Why do we stop being ourselves?  Conditioning and the absence of common sense… you really have been doing this your entire life.

We never explain the pay plan… nor the business.  We just tell a couple of stories.

Chelsea Relaxing With MoMo. It was Davene telling Chels about Kauai that got her here.

It’s a skill… being yourself and telling a story.  The skill is the discipline to remember that you’ve been doing this your WHOLE LIFE!

Oh, in case you’re wondering, Jackie and Chelsea both bought plane tickets and came to visit.  (Folks, that’s network marketing.  Davene’s recommendation triggered a transaction.)

But wait… it gets better.

She’d share with them how much she loved living here and wouldn’t you know it?  Two of the three have moved here.   Folks, that’s network marketing.

The action step to elevate your game

So may I ask you to do yourself a little favor?

In the comment box below, if you would, let others know the last time you ‘shared’ or ‘recommended’ something to someone else, like the name of a good doctor or plumber or mechanic or a vacation spot, movie, book or shortcut you found to avoid traffic.  Let yourself and other readers know if you were ‘nervous’ or unsure about what to say, fearful of the outcome.  If you’ll just take a moment and reflect then share, I believe you’ll be stunned about how different that feels than approaching a prospect.

Isn’t recommending those things the same as recommending people take a look at your business?   Do you feel differently when talking about your trip to Disney World than your product?   Understanding they are the same, and it’s our ‘conditioning’ that creates a ‘different’ feeling when we open our mouth.  Learning to relax is the pathway to wealth.

And the odd part is, often the restaurant or day trip to the beach we recommend is as much money as a sign up into your MLM… so, it’s not the money, eh?   So please, if you would, think about the last thing you shared that you enjoyed and share it here, and if you were anxious at all.

And, you’ve been doing it your whole life too, so relax and sponsor more.

believe

mark januszewski

world’s laziest networker

 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing
About the Author

  • Hi Mark & Davene,

    Just wanted to honor your request and make a comment. First off I Love the simplicity you put into everything! I can make things so darn complex I’ll never get out of the box I’ve created…my cocoon I’ve been living in…but here I am…working on it…
    Anyway…I should be making Millions by now! Reason I say this is that I’m a storyteller! I love to talk…write…help people…travel…immerse myself into Cultures…and peoples’ lives…so what’s stopping me? Why am I not on the Top of our company right now? Simple answer, I believe…I STOPPED telling stories and spent years now trying to push products…”trying” to land at the top…focusing on my NEED to make money…analyzing ALL OF IT to death…and here I am…stuck…not living…since the mortgage industry crashed, and my business with it I’ve been stuck in my misery of what I’ve lost…and again, TRYING too hard to regain my status, my income, my esteem…and meantime I’m simply stuck…and Broke!

    Sorry I didn’t tell the story I had planned on telling…but this is MY Story…maybe it’ll help me sharing it…maybe it’ll help someone else out there, my sharing it…who knows…all I DO know is it’s time to get out of my own way…start living again by hanging with people..and talking…tell my story…tell your story…my sponsor’s story…
    So much more I could say but I’ll stop right here for now…

    Thanks for letting me share Mark & Davene…you guys have put something special out here for those of us who allow ourselves to catch the life jacket you’re throwing to us! And it’s GREAT STUFF!!!
    Thanks Again…Aloha…Cate

  • Thank you again MARK!
    Life and success do not have to a complicated process at all.
    Applying instinct (sixth sense) and “telling stories” have been the simple path I have journeyed.
    That technique has allowed me to enjoy solid relationships and adequate income, to be comfortable within the range I dictated.

  • I recommend products and services to folks everyday. It’s my job. However when recommending “my Product” it feels different. Until now, Now I see where I need to remove myself (detach) from the outcome. I used to look at it as rejection of me, it’s not it just not something they are interested in right now. Great post. Great hints into the mindset of a network marketer. P.S. The new 21 laws of leadership by John Maxwell is great read… See there Simple.
    Make it a great day.

  • As usual Mark you’re right on target. I recently shared how much I enjoyed reading all three Malcolm Gladwell’s books with a few people and just like clock work some of them asked me to spell the name for them so they could write them down. Not once did I fell like i was trying to convince them to read those books! I just spoke with passion about how much I enjoyed them and how valuable I think his information is.

    SLS

  • Hi Mark and Davene!

    So good to see your face, Mark…and Davene’s camera work! Love this post. This same revelation occurred to me a few weeks ago when I realized I had shared about a new restaurant I’d visited. Three times in less than a few hours, I was raving about the food, the service and the sweet atmosphere. And then I thought, I feel the same way about my biz…and with your reminder, that’s the way I’m going to share. Telling stories, honoring other’s employment (love that comment, too), while enjoying my own path.

    Love you two!
    T-Rex

  • I think it’s about the goal too! A goal is an object or event towards which PLAY is directed in order to score. If your goal is to ‘get’ someone into your program or get them to buy your product you are likely playing differently than if the goal is to understand them and sharing so they understand what you have. Collapsing score and goal also guarantees that ‘play’ disappears. Finding stories that excite you will also excite who you share them with. There is no excitement in facts and figures… at least for most of us. Without PLAY, without a fun story, a story that excites you who will listen?

    There are plenty of myths in the world too. If you believe, the cobbler’s children have no shoes or tax accountants fail to file their tax forms on time you will find those kinds of examples everywhere. Having lived with professionals my entire life I know just the opposite is true. A teacher committed to education has a home filled with books and dinner talk is stories about learning. If your spouse is a doctor, the health of their family is a priority and your healthcare is the best. You won’t have to wait weeks to ‘see’ the doctor either.

    I want everyone to have the quality of life I have. Sharing it in a way that gives people permission to choose the path on their own terms happens naturally when they understand. You cannot see it until you believe it and either will they.

  • i am been fed with all types of leadership tips, people skills ever since i subscribed to the book/cd program of my company/system. and the best is my upline/upteam is following the same system for more than 7 years only to find themselves struggling every day. i for one had decided that i may take 10 years before i quit my present job. if only anything i can ever thank you for is the hope you have given me. i do have family commitments and with my day job i just couldnt imagine myself doing mlm the way my upline/upteam has been doing it.being the eldest with aged father and two kids who are nowhere near doing their own toilets is like a unenviable situation and i do have a full time job which takes care of my family. thank you for the hope you have given, i think i can do it faster and better with your SKILLS.

  • ALoha Terry!!

    So great to hear from you. And, yes…..coincidentally….it was many, many years ago, during my frustraing year, that I too realized, wehn telling 2 guys at the gym about a new restraunt in Newburyport, MA that I was simply sharing an experience,as myself, and they were listening [BTW, they both because regulars at the place] ….I wasn’t ‘selling’ and they ended bu ‘buying’ ….It’s crazu how hard we make this thing sometimes.

    People love stories, they hate listening to a sales pitch they did not ask for. You are soooo right!

    believe
    mark j

  • Thanks Chuck…

    I believe of people checked out your progress they’d find the same sound principle….your just sharing your commitment to health and sharing your results.

    It’s all over your work Chuck….your tremendous effort in sharing Think and Grow Rich, Health……always giving. BRAVO!

    believe
    mark j

  • Cate…..

    This is just an immense contribution…..your honesty, self discovery……wow……..anyone who reads this would experience a tremendous benefit.

    People love stoies …..and they hate listening to sales ptiches they did not ask to hear……and what do we do? In our excitement – all of us – forget that from time to time…..

    Relax, you’ve discovered the key to the vault and shared it…..I’ve read your comment 4 times!! It’s a story and, I might add, a GREAT one…..

    keep growing
    believe
    mark j

  • BINGO!!

    Astonsihing realization. It’s all about telling a story and passion.

    That you realized this, this ‘observation’ …..is really the handmaiden to wealth in network marketing

    believe
    mark j

  • Thanks for stopping by……wow, what a story!

    I’m always amazed at upteams who insist on doing things one way that is not giving them the money and time they want. We know the ‘intention’ is wonderful……but the methods simply do not work…..end of story.

    Winning in MLM is about talking to people, which we’ve all been doing our whole life. So why do we join an MLM and all of a sudden turn into ‘pitch’ men/women? Ironic, eh?

    You’ve found the key to the vault ….go for it!

    believe
    mark j

  • Michael

    Your regular visits and profound shares make this a better blog ….thank you.

    MLMers, like you….the real ones……believe it before they see it…..and your ‘little bit extra’….integrity…..touches all our readers. We appreicate you.

    believe
    mark j

  • Thanks Mark…I feel I’ve got an uphill here but I’m not a quitter…and I BELIEVE in this Industry because of stories from people like yourself…my upline who’s made only a few million in a company that didn’t survive…and his mentor who’s made over 70 million! Think it works? Think it will work for me? Why not??
    Thank-you again…it wasn’t easy to share what I did here…but you’re return comment to me helped me so much…made me feel like I was heard…and that you empathized with me! That empathy goes a long, long way when one’s down for a few counts…I’m coming back tho better than ever!
    Aloha!
    I want to come to Hawaii!!!
    Cate

  • Mark and Davene,

    I like your stuff. WHy …..It works!!!

    You are a blessing to so many people that take the time to learn the skills that are necessary to make the Big Income.

    Successful network marketers simply do the things that unsuccessful network marketers make a conscious decision not to do.
    I hope everyone realizes the Million dollar education you are giving to them.

    Fryman out……….

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

    Learn How to Be a Better Network Marketer... Start Now!

    >