One thing experienced network marketers know is that the first company you join, will most likely not be your last.  This is why it’s so important to build your business around you first and your company second.  Boiled down, it means that you should not be afraid to let your personality shine through.  Here are the top five ways you can start making this happen:

1.  Have a personal website or blog

Most network marketing companies will give you a premade website.  Chances are, the only personalization you can make to the page is going to be adding your name and contact information to it.  What you really need is your own site with a single link to the company’s duplicated page.  Now, people will have a much better idea of who you are and what you have to offer.  If you choose to work for a different company, you can easily change the link to your new duplicated page and not lose all of your hard work. 

2.  Build relationships, not farm for leads

Before you started network marketing, did you realize how easy it is to get someone’s contact information?  You can buy “leads” online for pennies a person.  Would you want someone calling you out of the blue to try and sell you something that you’ve never even heard of?  Purchasing leads makes your job way more tedious than it should be.  Instead of spending your day pitching sales to strangers, wouldn’t you rather have a conversation with other network marketers helping each other make plans for future success?  This takes us to number three..

3.  Hang out at the water cooler

Network marketing is all about just that; network marketing.  Put yourself out there and make connections!  Some people advocate working with your “warm market” first.  This means hitting up all of your friends and family and trying to get them to join or buy from you.  Have your kids, or yourself ever had to sell something for school?  You know, candy bars, popcorn, wrapping paper.  Who doesn’t hate being asked, or asking others to cough up money for one of these things?  Well, that’s what it feels like when you go to your warm market.  Instead of irritating friends and family, focus on finding out where other network marketers in your field hang out.  This could be a work at home website, blog, local group, or other people working for your company… figure out where they spend their time and insert yourself. 

4.  Rome was not build in a day

If you assume that any network marketing job is going to produce a fortune within one year, you are sadly mistaken.  Look at the big-wigs in the business, they have been at it for YEARS…. many, many, years.  The first few months of being a network marketer are rough.  You might not even break even.  It takes time to earn credibility in this field, and that’s what you’re working on every day.  You will sign and lose members, have great and terrible sales months, but during that time you’ll be laying the foundation of your business.  You will find the right people to work with and together you’ll start to earn a real income. 

5.  Proper planning

When you’re first starting out in network marketing, it’s easy to get starry eyed over the idea.  You go through a company’s initial training, your enroller is pumping you up, you’re shouting it all over the internet, and everything is perfect.  But then a month goes by… then two… and you hit the doldrums.  You might feel taken advantage of because everyone else said it was so easy.  Ha!  This is NOT an easy business.  It takes time and effort to get where you want.  Plus, you need a business plan.  What direction do you want to go, what opinions do you have to share, who have you connected with in the field, and what have you done to educate yourself and others working with you?  Every day, there should be a goal to accomplish whether it’s a blog post to write, a video to shoot, training to read, emails to catch up on… don’t slack off! 

Now that you have a better idea of success is going to look like, start brainstorming ways you can improve your business right now.  Share your ideas with everyone and watch your business grow!  

It can be difficult to make that mental switch between someone who takes orders and someone who gives orders.  Before you “fired your boss,” as they like to say, you went to work and were given tasks and goals by your higher ups.  There was already a business plan to follow by the time you jumped in.  Now, it’s up to you to define those goals and other daily tasks that will allow your business to thrive.  Let’s get started with how to make your plan.

First, you need to decide what type of marketing strategy you’re going to use.  This is all going to depend on what you have to sell.  If you’re an artist selling what you’ve made, you could do this in the physical form of going to art galleries, or set up your own webpage that showcases what you have to sell.  Take a minute to yourself and think about what avenue will suit your sales.  Is it in the community, or online?

For the sake of this article, let’s assume that you decided to go with an online presence.  Imagine you’re still the artist trying to sell your paintings.  You need to be where the other artists and art lovers are.  Start doing research by doing a web search of artists, and see what sites come up.  Take notes on which sites have an active blog, some sites will also allow you to advertise your wares. 

Now you have a much better idea of what your long term goal is going to look like.  You want to be among the people frequenting the big sites because this is your target market; they already love art and are the biggest customers in your field of work.

Your first step in that direction will be to create your own online identity.  This will most likely be in the form of your own website or blog.  You want to stand out from the crowd and have something to offer that the other artists don’t.  This should be the easiest part!  You don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not.  No matter what it is that you have to share about your work it will be right.  People respond to open honesty, if the customers see that you are being truthful with them and yourself, they will buy from you. 

The little daily tasks are what will come next.  You need to give your online presence a body.  Think back to the direction you want your company to go in and with what type of identity.  Start centering your site on your goals and beliefs and write instructive or opinionated articles about your given subject.  Showcase what makes you special!  Every day, make a point to expand your website a little more.  Whether this is creating a new banner, adding a new article, or touching up the layout, achieve something every day. 

Keeping yourself motivated can be tough when you aren’t seeing the financial results you want.  Remember that building your business takes time and that the best way to succeed is when you are in it for the long haul.  Keep educating yourself, read books, articles, and tutorials on different marketing strategies.  Hearing about other people’s success will motivate you to achieve your own.

I have an AWESOME new video coming out today about the different styles of learning, how to identify which one you are and how you can make it work to your advantage.  

This is really cool because it’s not only going to help you with your business, but it will also help you manage your daily work schedule!  We all have an ideal learning environment and when you understand what it takes to help you learn, you’ll be able to replicate that situation in everything you do.

The different types include: Verbal, Visual, Tactile, Kinesthetic, and Aural 

Wait until you hear what knowing your learning type can do for your Network Marketing business!  

Why your network marketing business should be like me not having a sunburn:

also known as “don’t be delusional”

If you have ever seen even a glimpse of a picture of me, you can tell how pale my skin is.  I hate it.  Right now, I’m down in sunny Panama City, Florida trying to slightly tan my white legs.  BUT…. I know I’m Minnesota white.  I don’t have a chance in the sun.  So do you know what I do?  Put on sunscreen and don’t go out for longer than an hour or so at a time.  

“Sunscreen?  No shit…”  is what you’re probably thinking

“This has nothing to do with network marketing.”  ok, yes it does.  let me get there.

When I knew I was going down to Florida, I prepared myself.  I researched different tanning tips for people with pale skin, I bought the right sunscreen and beach towel.  

When I was starting out in network marketing I didn’t want to get burned either.  So I educated myself by watching videos, reading blogs, and talking with other marketers.  

I have zero delusions about what it’s going to take for me to get a tan.  And you should have zero delusions about what it’s going to take to succeed in network marketing.