I think we all come into Network Marketing with a somewhat skewed interpretation/understanding of what we’re going to be doing and how long it’s going to take us to get there…. where ever "THERE" is to each of us.
What I’m talking about is that ‘time limit’. …………..
That ……. I’ll give it a TRY for … attitude/mindset
How long do we give a baby to learn to walk? Do we give them 6 weeks? Do we give them only as long as the baby book says and if our child isn’t walking by the time the book says he/she should, we pick the baby up and say… "No more for you. You had your chance and you blew it. I guess you’ll just have to crawl the rest of your life."
opps… only gave myself 5 minutes to write this post… time’s up …I QUIT
gotta go … see ya … I’m out of here…….
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For those who stuck around ……..
Of course not… we work with and continually encourage it UNTIL he/she learns to walk. We don’t put a time limit on the child in learning how to speak… and then later, once they have mastered walking and speaking…. and it’s time to move down the road a bit faster …… Ok, sonny, I’m going to teach you to ride a bicycle today and if you don’t get it in the hour we have… too bad…
Where / when did we develop the mindset that a certain task should ONY take so long? Was it when we started our schooling? Here in the US, we’re given 9 months to complete each grade. Did we start conditioning our ‘tick tock, set the clock’ for completion from there? Did it move forward with us as we went into being the ‘employee’? If I don’t get a raise in
90 days.. I QUIT! ????????????
What if Thomas Edison had said… "Ok, guys, I’m only going to try creating a light bulb for 30 days. If I don’t succeed, and we run out of candles, then we’ll all just have to be happy with sitting in the dark at night?"
If we look around at those who have been immensely successful in any industry, there’s an obvious reason why only 5-10% succeed. They were/are "All In" for as long as it takes.
From The DNA of Success by Jack Zufelt
An individual wanted to put my ideas to the test one time. He said, ―Jack, I‘ll tell you what. I‘ll try what you‘re talking about for six months and if it doesn‘t work, I‘ll quit and try something else.‖ I told him, ―Don‘t even start.
There’s already plenty of pressure for most who are building a business from home WITHOUT setting a timer on how long we’ll invest our efforts into it.
Coming in to Network Marketing with a pre-set time limit is not only a waste of your time but a waste of your sponsor’s, support team’s and your entire team’s time too. It’s the same as sitting on the fence, watching to see which side of the yard is going to have the greener grass and measuring how long it’s going to take for that green grass to show up.
Setting a time limit for success in Network Marketing is also a sign of other things: desperation, lack of faith in ourselves and maybe even the company we’ve picked. Maybe it’s a sign of a lack of solid commitment to something. Maybe we decided to ‘give it a try’ on a whim.
Go put a large pan of water on the stove top, turn on the burner and stand over the water until it boils. I imagine it will take a lot longer than you thought. It’s likely that building your business will be like the water in that pot.
Maybe it’s as simple as we don’t really know what we want???????
If you’re a believer in the Universal Laws of Nature and are "IN" one day and "OUT" the next, the Law of Nature is going to sit back and say "well when she makes up her mind, then we can go to work, but until then we have not a clue what she wants."
I remember being at one of many Network Marketing events where I had the opportunity to hear Art Jonak speak. He said, and I paraphrase now ..
Some of you will give up and quit, maybe in a few days, maybe a month, maybe three or six months..50% of you won’t be here next year…. but I challenge all of you "Be here in a year. Be here in another year".
One cannot measure success by HOW LONG IT TAKES. One measures success by staying until it’s done.
If your clock is ticking… you have two choices….
QUIT NOW
or
THROW THE CLOCK AWAY!
Don’t set yourself up for failure from the get-go by setting a time limit on your success. …………….. on how long you will give the process of mastering this great industry of Network Marketing.
I believe in YOU!
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
In Network Marketing, people get very caught up in "What ad should I run?" And sure, some ads out-pull other ads. But the key to your success is not the ads.
Tom Big Al Schreiter shared a story with me about an occasion he had to meet with 40 Network Marketing leaders. He posed this question?
"How were you introduced to network marketing?"
Then he gave them some choices to choose from. Here are the choices:
A. Relative or friend.
B. Newspaper advertising.
C. A mailing.
D. An audio cassette or cd.
E. At a trade show.
F. Radio advertising.
G. The Internet.
H. By referral.
I. By a stranger at a chance encounter.
J. Saw a flyer.
What would you think the top 5 methods were that brought people into Network Marketing? With all that advertising and pitching you’re doing on sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc…. Maybe you think the internet is one of the top 5 methods?
Here are the results from Big Al’s question:
36 – Relative or friend.
2 – The Internet.
1 – Newspaper advertising.
1 – Radio advertising.
0 – A mailing.
0 – An audio cassette or cd.
0 – At a trade show.
0 – By referral.
0 – By a stranger at a chance encounter.
0 – Saw a flyer.
Have you figured out the key to your success based on this simply survey?
If you think you can short circuit building relationships with HOT Headlines, multiple mailings, posting flyers everywhere, parroting on Facebook over and over about your opportunity, you’re Network Marketing experience is NOT going to be the best…..
Your prospects need to know you care about THEIR NEEDS and DESIRES. Your prospect must also believe that you have a workable system, and that you can help them be successful with it … that you truly want them to achieve their dreams.
You are the message, not any ads you may run.
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Most people who find my blog are looking for some kind of help in building their business from home via a Network Marketing company. Some of those people request the free ebook, Success in 10 Steps. ( A great read, by the way) ………… Recently I called a gentleman who had downloaded the ebook, Success in 10 Steps, to see what it might be that I could help him with.
When I explained that I was here to help him, if he was wanting the help, of course. ……….
He asked, "What’s in it for you?"
It had been so long since I had thought about that, the question took me back for a moment. If I’m offering to help you learn, do … something I’ve learned to do, isn’t it enough that I’m willing to give my time to those who truly want the information and assistance I am willing and able to share?
This gentleman JUST KNEW there was some sort of CATCH.
WHY?
WHY must there always be a CATCH? Is it simply that this gentleman would NEVER just give? Could it be that EVERYTHING to him comes with a price tag? Could it be that he can’t imagine himself being willing to give someone else something that might help them …. without an exchange of something back for himself? Or perhaps he can’t see past what he can get without giving something in return?
I was mulling this conversation over in my head when I came across a great article by one of my favorite writers, Seth Godin:
The sad irony of selfishness http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/02/the-sad-irony-of-selfishness.html
More often than not, the selfish person is insecure, fearful and filled with doubt. The selfishness springs from his belief that this is his only good idea, his last dollar, his one and only chance to avoid failure. "I need this, not you," he says, because he truly believes he’s got nothing else going on, no other chance, no hope.
The irony, of course, is that selflessness (not selfishness, its opposite) is precisely the posture that leads to more success. The person with the confidence to support others and to share is repaid by getting more in return than his selfish counterpart.
The connection economy multiplies the value of what is contributed to it. It’s based on abundance, not scarcity, and those that opt out, fall behind.
Sharing your money, your ideas, your insights, your confidence… all of these things return to you. Perhaps not in the way you expected, and certainly not with a guarantee, but again and again the miser falls behind.
Learning to build a business from home through a Network Marketing is not a "do it yourself/by yourself" job. Sometimes we have to look outside our own companies for skills trainings. …….. But ……..
WHAT IF ……………..
What if no one was willing to share the knowledge and skills they’ve learned and applied so that we could achieve the level of success we desire?
I believe that if we are living a life of purpose, it is natural to want to GIVE to others ….
Maybe some people can’t think beyond what they will get out of it, what they need …. but gratefully, there are many who understand and believe in the Universal Law of Nature….
what we give unselfishly, will ALWAYS come back…
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Many, many Network marketers have moved to the Internet in order to build their home based business. With so many options on social media sites, safelists, Traffic Exchanges, Twitter, etc…
Terence McMillian, a member of my Facebook Group, Respectful Network Marketing, posted this on our group wall. 
Naturally it hits the nail right on the head so I asked him if I could share it.
"Pick one strategy and stick to it. Pick one strategy and stick to it. Pick…one…strategy…"
It’s the marketers broken record. On and on it goes. Why no one follows nobody knows.
Perhaps one reason most new marketers don’t follow the "Pick One Strategy" method is because they’re consumed with the buffet syndrome.
Reading this reminded me of someone who had contacted me for some help/advice on a marketing strategy for her business. In talking with her, I learned she was doing this, this, this, this, this and that other thing too. She loved being challenged, she said.
Challenged? Interesting, I thought.
Even though it’s been over 5 years, I can still remember the madness of trying to work over a dozen different sites at the same time. I spent hours and hours on the computer and I THOUGHT I was actually ACCOMPLISHING something everywhere… Look at me ! I’m here, here, here, here , here, over there, there, there, oh and I forgot… I’m out there somewhere too.
In reality, I TRULY WAS – OUT THERE !
Did I have a decent understanding of at least half a dozen of the places I was hanging out? NO! I was spread so far wide out that I didn’t really grasp the concept of communicating effectively ANYWHERE!
If I could close with just one tip that is worth more than a million bucks it would be:
F O C U S !
Shorten the time it takes you to find success by learning from my mistakes and those of others before me who told me the same thing—- more than ONCE! Focus on learning one method… ONE METHOD! Get really good at it!
No FOCUS! NO SUCCESS !
It’s as simple and straightforward as that!
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
PS: FO C U S! Not just on one method of marketing but on only ONE business.
There are many discussions and opposing viewpoints on why so many people join Network Marketing and then drop out.
Where does the responsibility really lie? Does it lie with The sponsor? Does it lie with the new person? Or in truth does it lie somewhere in the middle… 50/50
I hope you’ll take the few minutes to watch this video and then ponder.
However
Maybe we should be taking some responsibility for our lack of success in Network Marketing. Maybe when the script didn’t seem to work or our friends said "no", our upline didn’t have any further recommendations.
Maybe we didn’t seek out more information like Tom "Big Al" Schreiter, Michael Oliver’s Natural Selling, the free training at Mentoring for Free that starts with a great ebook you can get here on this page.
Maybe we didn’t want to take the time to learn skills or improve our self by reading good books.
Maybe we didn’t understand delayed gratification……………
Yes, as leaders, we should be providing a gateway to ALL the skills needed for success, but maybe as the failed business partner… we didn’t reach beyond our arm’s length either….
No one can make us successful. That has to come through our own efforts with guidance from good mentors. We HAVE to put in the ‘active’ time if we want to reap the rewards.
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Recently someone asked this question:
If Network Marketing is designed to be the great "out" from a 9-5 JOB, then why aren’t the ‘average’ people I talk to interested in Joining my business?
If only I had the story below to tell at the time, but I didn’t and what I did reply back with was not near as to the point as what Tom "Big Al" Schreiter shared. Read it below.
From Big Al @ http://fortunenow.com :
"Sure I want to be in my own business, but I can’t afford the distributor kit."Your prospect may be short on cash, but he sure sounds like he has a lot of desire, right?
He really wants to be successful in his own business. How motivated is your prospect?
Consider the following summary of a story in Chinatown: A Portrait of a Closed Society. (HarperCollins, 1992):
"Many immigrants start out as street peddlers for three or four years until they have saved enough money (between $50,000 and $100,000) to start their own small business. The book tells about Lin who earned $360 a week peddling vegetables, fruit, and umbrellas. His annual income: $22,000. What is amazing is that Lin saves $18,000 of his income and lives on the other $4,000."Lin has saved over $70,000 in four years so he can start his own business."
Hmmm. I’d say Lin is motivated and willing to make a few sacrifices in his standard of living to achieve his dreams.
Now, back to our original prospect who couldn’t come up with the $40 investment for his distributor kit. What do you think? Does this prospect have a strong, burning desire to be in his own business?
Americans take too many things for granted. We’re spoiled. We want things, but aren’t willing to pay the price. New immigrants to America also want things, but they are willing to pay the price. They are excited that they have the opportunity to pay the price.
What do average Americans want?
- They want to be the boss, but refuse to stay late after work.
- They want to take exotic vacations, but refuse to save from their monthly paychecks.
- They want to own their own business, but only if it is free.
- They want to be a network leader with a five-figure monthly income, but they can’t get away from personal activities to attend opportunity training meetings.
No wonder average people have trouble building a networking business.
They must build the business themselves, and that’s a gross inconvenience.
That’s why successful networkers look for the unaverage American. It’s easier to build a successful network marketing business when somebody is working.
So, is Network Marketing really for the ‘AVERAGE" person?
Anyone can learn the skills and find success. However, I think Big Al is right. We really need to be looking for the "Un-AVERAGE", those who realize there will be sacrifices. There will be inconveniences. There will be challenges. There may need to be some life-style changes for a while.
So sort through the average and seek the un-average!
What do you think?
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
With "listening" being one of the most important skills we can learn in Network Marketing, I’m amazed to discover how little importance it measures on the Richter scale of skills in training our new business partners.
Listening is one of the most neglected skills. In school we learned to read, write, speak, but I can’t say I was ever offered a course on listening. There is also a HUGE difference between listening and hearing……. I like to think of it this way.
Hearing – not only do I see your mouth moving, but there is noise in the form of words coming from your direction too…..
Listening – you said you had a toothache and had to make an appointment to go to the dentist. The appointment is tomorrow at 2:00PM
In Network Marketing, I think we’ve put the cart before the horse. We’ve got a great opportunity, great products, services, etc…. We have that script for our presentation and we’re out there like heat seeking missiles looking for people to pounce on to give our presentation to.
One of the most cliché’ ways we’ve learned to get our deal out there is to ask someone what they do.
We give them about 30 seconds (maybe a minute or two) to tell us, just knowing that the next statement from them should be "what do you do"… BINGO! It works. I asked, they said, they asked and then I threw up on them about what I do. Truth is, it was all about me and my deal. I planned the conversation and it went according to my plan. Except wait… it didn’t really, because after I threw up on the other person, all they wanted to do was get away from me. 
I’ve done it and had it done to me. I know what it looks, feels and tastes like from both sides and I bet you do too.
I found these 10 commandments and wanted to share them with you because I believe they fit for Network Marketers just as much as in any other instance or situation. Even though the post is from 1972… they still apply today.
Commandments of Good Listening – as posted by the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program
- the first ten – from K. Davis, Human Behavior at Work, McGraw Hill, 1972
- Stop talking. Obvious, but not easy.
- Put the speaker at ease. Create a permissive, supportive climate in which the speaker will feel free to express himself or herself.
- Show a desire to listen. Act interested and mean it.
- Remove distractions. External preoccupation is less likely if nothing external is present to preoccupy you.
- Empathize. Try to experience to some degree the feelings the speaker is experiencing.
- Be patient. Give the speaker time to finish; don’t interrupt.
- Hold your temper. Don’t let your emotions obstruct your thoughts.
- Go easy on argument and criticism. Suspend judgment.
- Ask questions. If things are still unclear when a speaker has finished, ask questions which serve to clarify the intended meanings.
- Stop talking. In case you missed the first commandment.
One of the most important things I had to learn as I started developing my listening skills was to STOP planning conversations. Frankly, it’s disrespectful to the other person. Yes, I can have a general idea of where I’d like the conversation to go, but planning what to say should be left for speeches… not normal conversation one on one with someone else.
If I ask questions and truly listen, normally the person will tell me what they need or want. Then my job is to ask more questions and LISTEN some more. At some point, we’ll be able to mutually determine whether what I have to offer would be of interest….. Besides, if they don’t want or need what I want to offer, they’re not going to LISTEN!
Learning to LISTEN IS a SKILL. It takes practice and I believe it is also fundamental to building a legacy in Network Marketing. SO, if you haven’t started working on your listening skills…. when do you think would be a good time?
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Maybe you’ve had someone who joined a Network Marketing business opportunity who quit their job after two months in the business. What a great start, huh? Walked away from the JOB so quickly… Wouldn’t you want that too?
There’s a sad side to this story though.
The income earned in those two months came strictly from signing people up (the front end of the plan) not from the recurring monthly residual income (the back end of the plan). Imagine his shock when in the third month, no one wanted to join so there was no income coming in. Panic Time!!!
My friend went to see if he could get his job back, but ……… he had already been replaced.
So, "When Can I Quit my JOB" is a GREAT question.
Here’s what the master, Tom "Big Al" Schreiter has to say about that.
One of the biggest reasons people join network marketing is because they hate their jobs.
Their goal is to earn enough money so they can afford to leave their present employment. Will that give them financial security? Probably not.
For example, let’s say that John earns $2,500 a month. That $2,500 a month pays the expenses for John and his family. While he is building his networking business, his part-time checks of $1,000 per month represent extra income that is not required to cover their personal overhead.
It’s unencumbered money. That extra $1,000 a month could buy trips, nice cars, fun times, pay off debts, or could be saved for retirement or invested for financial security. Life is good with extra cash to spend as you wish.
But what happens when John’s network marketing check reaches $2,500 a month?
He quits his job. Now John’s $2,500 a month network marketing check pays the expenses for John and his family. There is no extra cash or fun money. The budget is tight. John sweats his sales volume every month hoping his check won’t drop to $2,300.
See the difference?
The successful networkers I know keep their job and invest their network marketing check. After a few years they are totally financially independent because of their investments.
Then, they quit their job. Their investments pay the monthly expenses while their networking checks are spent on vacations and other fun activities.
"Nothing magical happens when you quit your job except that your income disappears." — Art Spikol
"Since I quit my j-o-b, I sleep like a baby. Every three hours I get up and cry." — Anonymous Distributor
Something to consider.
Great and wise words…. don’t you think?
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Being a HUGE fan of Tom "Big Al" Schreiter, I came across an article he had written this last year and wanted to share it with you today.
Our mind, and the programs we get from others, control us.
The challenge in business is to overcome this and to begin to take back control of our mind.
When I teach leadership workshops, here are some examples of what I mean.
1. Train the mind to look for reasons why it will work, versus reasons why it won’t work.
2. Accepting problems as a normal part of business. We are being paid as business owners to get past the problems, not to place blame or hide behind excuses.
3. Build a habit of prospecting consistently without expectation of immediate results.
4. "Do vs. Try" thinking.
5. Personal responsibility for results.If we don’t prepare our minds for business, then we will be attempting a business with "job thinking" and we will suffer frustration and poor results.
These are just a few of the things for taking back control of our mind.
What do you teach or aspire to in your leadership thinking?
Tom "Big Al" Schreiter
Great and wise words!
I’m ever so grateful for having met "Big Al" back in 2007. He has helped me change the way I think, the way I talk to people about Network Marketing and I know that he can help you too….. Look him up at Fortunenow.com Apply what you can learn from this great trainer and you’ll find Network Marketing to be fun and profitable.
As Tom "Big Al" says. "Learn the Skills and Only take the volunteers!!!!! "
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
Is Network Marketing about selling? I admit that when I started, I thought it was only about selling stuff and recruiting people.
There was no way on earth I could be successful with that kind of thinking and my failure rate proved the point. SUCCESSFUL Network Marketing is NOT really about products / services, but then again it is. I know that sounds confusing and contradictory, but I’ll explain what I have learned and why I say what I’m saying.
We have all been network marketing since we were at least five years old. When Mom took you with her to the grocery store and you told her to buy you xyz brand of cereal, you were Network Marketing. When you told your classmate to go home, throw a tantrum and Mom would give you all the cookies and milk you wanted, you were Network Marketing. You were recommending and in essence – Marketing through your Network – ie associations.
When we recommend a movie or place to dine, we don’t make it life or death, "gotta go there – or else". And when our friends say, ‘thanks but I don’t care for that kind of movie or dining experience’, we don’t bombard them with reasons to change their mind. Maybe we’re a bit disappointed that they don’t want to see a movie we thought was life changing, but normally we just let it go. So, ok, they are not interested.
It’s only when we sign on for a business, dealing in services or products that we seem to go ‘beyond’ referring and sometimes become pushy salespersons. "You’ve got to try this". "Come on, just buy it, you’ll like it". "It’s the latest, greatest thing since sliced bread".
When it comes to our business. We are ‘driven’ and sometimes ‘desperate’ to make that sell. But what we are really doing is ‘driving’ the potential customer away when we try to overcome their objections.
The biggest mistake and one of the biggest causes for failure, in my opinion, is we lose our focus, sometimes even our dignity, for the sake of making money. We lose sight of the fact that not EVERYONE is interested in what we have to offer, and just because we think it is a ‘no brainer’, others don’t see things the same we we do.
One of the most difficult things we must overcome in order to have success is to remove ourselves from the equation. Remind yourself daily; "It’s not about ME; it’s about others". "How can I help someone else?" "What can I give today that will benefit someone else?"
When we stop being a sales person and start being a person of compassion, caring and truly start listening to what others need rather than what we need, our whole life will change including our business. We will sell more (to those who want it), get more referrals and fewer people will run the other direction when they see us coming.
Remember this – no one likes being sold but most people love buying!
To YOUR Success
~Jennifer Fisher
