In Network Marketing, we love to talk about residual income and long-term legacy. And because of that, there’s a common saying ‘It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon’. The problem is, that also means people can feel like if they just plod along, they’ll eventually reach their financial freedom goal.
Now, whilst I agree that we should be always focusing on the big picture, the long term, the legacy – you also want to build with urgency. You want to create energy, momentum and excitement. And even more so – if the goal is financial freedom, you want that as soon as possible. You don’t want to wait til you’re 94 before you finally achieve your freedom – you want to have it whilst you’re young enough to enjoy it.
We need to understand that it is both a sprint and a marathon.
You want to have the long term wealth generation mindset. You need to always understand that lasting results take time. You to build this properly – in a way where you don’t get caught up in flash blitzes that churn your network, doing a very good impression of a ‘get rich quick scheme’.
But you also want to look at your business with a sense of urgency. Nobody wants to hear your story of making $1,000 after 5 years – you want to make that in your first 5 weeks – THEN – settle into a solid stride and turn that energy, excitement and growth into a life-changing business; getting results fast, but avoiding the burn out later.
So how do you do that? Well you will need these 3 ingredients:
Your Story
Your story is everything in Network Marketing. EVERYTHING. Your story is how you will connect with people, how they will resonate with you and how they will want to join you. Your story is what people will viscerally feel, seeing you face a challenge and then find a solution where you can move through.
People here facts and figures all day. Advertisements everywhere are bombarding them with numbers, telling them why they should by something. But stories are different. Stories mean people will relate to you, feel your pain and emotionally live your story as their own. Ultimately they’ll want to join with you to achieve the same results you have.
After all, facts tell, but stories sell.
Because of this, the very first step to growing your business is creating a short, emotional and impactful story within the framework;
- Before (where you were before you started with your product / company).
- Struggle (the emotional struggles related to your pain).
- Solution (a friend told you about a thing).
- After (where you are now).
Work with the template to create your own story. Create a few stories – your product story and your money story. Your energy story and your new car story. Your better skin story and your new confidence story etc.
From there, we need to create an offer.
Your Offer
You know that saying ‘people turn into weirdos when they join MLM / Network Marketing’? Well, it’s only true if you do decide to become a weirdo when you’re talking to people – especially at this point.
Too often we get super fluffy and weird here. People ask what you do and you start talking about making people’s dreams come true. Start talking about the wonderful company who’s changed your life and will change theirs too. Or we spew techno babble and facts and figures all over people. One day we’re a Plumber, the next we’re trying to coach them on their DNA chains.
When people ask what you do, you want to have a simple, concise and punchy one-liner. An elevator pitch essentially. And again, we use a template.
‘I help people X without Y’
‘I help people X without Y, even if Z’.
If you’re in weight loss – I help people lose weight without counting calories.
Or I help people lose weight without exercise, even if they don’t want to count calories.
Skin care – I help people look a million dollars, without the price tag.
I help people look 5 years younger without needles, even if they only have 5 minutes a day.
Travel – I help people have 5 star holidays without 5 star credit card bills.
I help people see the world without a travel agent, even if they’ve never left their home town.
Business opportunity – I help people have more time at home without take a pay cut.
I help people earn money from home without bugging their friends, even if they’ve never done sales.
Whatever you want to put in, you need to have a punchy line here. The same thing any business owner would have. Because if we want to get paid like a business, we need to treat this like a business…
Finally, we need a Starving Crowd
Hypothetical question – you are starting a restaurant. What’s the most important thing you need to have? Good food? Cheap prices? 5 Star service? Ambience? Location?
Nope. Spoiler alert, the answer was above. You need a starving crowd.
It doesn’t matter how good your restaurant is, if nobody is hungry, nobody buys from you.
It’s the same in Network Marketing and MLM. We’re often told from stage ‘Everyone will want this, just go out and tell them’. Turns out, not everyone does.
Don’t believe me? Send 10 people a message now and see how many come back to you.
Before you write a list of everyone you know, first step is to think about what you actually offer, and how many people will genuinely be interested. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever speak to other people – we’re just going after the low hanging fruit. Many of the other people on your list will want to join later – after they’ve seen your initial results. More on that another day.
For your launch, you want to focus on the hungry people. The people who will help you launch. The people who will want this. As they come in, as you help them get results, you build confidence and credibility as you move into the warm and cold networks. But initially, the HOT network is where you want to launch – get the rocket ship moving.
Then strap yourself in for a long ride – but it will be worth it.
For more help on crafting your offer and story, or the 7 Steps to Financial Freedom through Network Marketing – grab your free copy of my new book here.
Andrew Logan is a Network Marketing Author, Coach and Mentor.
You can access more free training on his YouTube channel here and his Podcast here.
For your Free 7 Step Guide to Financial Freedom Through Network Marketing, click here.
Your 7 Step System to Financial Freedom Through Network Marketing