79 Network Marketing Tips
79 Network Marketing Tips
79 Network Marketing Tips
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Tom Big Al Schreiter. World-renowned Network Marketing Guru
Testimonials
Introduction
About the author
Section 1: Getting Started
Section 2: Skills
Section 3: Good Practice
Section 4: Building Trust
Section 5: The Big Picture
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
There will be thousands of people Ive forgotten to mention here, who have played a part in my
journey, so I apologise in advance.
But I will start by thanking some great mentors Steve Critchley, for sage advice and helping me
grow in my business; Robin Brooks, a great colleague and friend who is always fun to be around;
plus Big Al for telling me I should be doing this and then telling me again and again! Art Jonak for his
instant friendship and trust and for bringing the network marketing community together worldwide in
the way I have tried (with many fine colleagues) to do in the UK. And Randy Gage for inspiring me
when I first started in the profession and then helping me when I was given the chance to speak at The
Network Marketing Mastermind Event.
To my Dad for giving me the sheer cheek to think I could do well in this profession. To my Mum for
ensuring that I always believed I could succeed right from when I was in a cot. To Cheri and Justin
for being wonderful and for giving us our lovely Noah.
To Tristan for his loyal friendship and ongoing encouragement. To Joga for being a great friend and
excellent sounding board. To Steve, for the chats, the laughs and the unselfish support. To Jamie for
keeping me fit and for being a fantastic pal! To Mike Burge for badgering me to get this book finished
and to focus on the important stuff before it becomes urgent. To Barry the Book for his enthusiasm and
support on this project. To Steph for being inspiring. To Jimmy who has provided many lessons for
me. To Patricia for the unwavering belief. To the incredible Trainers, Speakers and Leaders I have
learnt so much from.
To Malcolm, Wayne, Andrew and Charles who in so many ways made everything possible.
To Steve, Joe, Jan (big respect), Andy, Sian, Graeme, Clive, Diana and Alex for their valuable help
and feedback.
To all the incredible friends I have made in this profession, all over the world, mainly the distributors
I meet from around the globe, irrespective of which company they represent. And of course, to the
teammates I have the pleasure of working with and caring for. What a fantastic profession one that
allows us to have fun, enjoy ourselves, help other people and make great money at the same time!
And thanks to my gone-but-not-forgotten great mates Ollie, JohnJo, Clive and Bernell who in
lots of different ways, form part of my journey.
Foreword
What is a compassionate leader? If you were looking for an example of that definition, that person
would be Wes Linden. He truly leads not forces people to become better in their career and in
their lives.
One of the definitions of leadership I use is that Leaders help people become more in their life,
than those people can do on their own. And this can be done with motivation, inspiration, teaching
and compassion. Not everyone identifies with the dictator version of leadership, and they are
looking for an alternate model.
This book will give simple tasks and insights into how you can get the best out of your new network
marketing business and how you can lead your team by simply caring about another persons life and
success.
I like the idea of teaching growth, success and leadership with tasks, tips, and clear steps. Too often
the big word Leadership sends people off to study lofty principles, theories, and boring, longwinded manuscripts. We all need to be practising leadership before we even learn what it is. Action
beats theory every day.
Enjoy putting these 79 tips into practice in your business starting now.
Tom Big Al Schreiter
www.fortunenow.com
Testimonials
This is a simple, but highly effective guide to a successful career in network marketing.
Allan Pease
Author of Questions are the Answers
Wes Linden is one of my favourites. His style is real and conversational and his stories are engaging
and relevant. Everyone in our profession will know about this book. Thank you Wes for your
dedication, commitment and enthusiasm for the business of network marketing. You are a true gift.
Jordan Adler
Network Marketing Millionaire, Author of Beach Money
Wes is the new breed of Professional Network Marketer in his fifteen-year career in the industry
he has studied what works and applied it and is still applying it. This is a must-read for any serious
network marketing professional.
Barry The Book Phillips
Knowledge Is King
Packed full of practical advice and written in a straightforward style. Every single one of these tips
summarises the secrets of a professional networker and will materially increase your income level.
Andy Waring
Network Marketing Professional and UK Leader
People wish they could tap into and somehow download the brain of a great leader within the
network marketing profession. The great news is, you simply need to read this book because Wes has
done that for you. As a tremendous leader within the profession, Wes has mastered a way of thinking
in order to be successful in this business and put it all onto paper in a simple and straightforward
way. Our advice? Read the entire book immediately. Then, read one tip every single day; journal your
thoughts on the idea and proactively start doing it!
Andrea Waltz & Richard Fenton
Authors of Go for No! and Million Dollar Year
As a top producer inside the network marketing profession, Wes Linden clearly knows that people
prefer simplicity. The simpler you make it, the faster your team will grow. In the spirit of simplicity,
Wes shares 79 bite-sized, yet critical results-creating nuggets to help you build a bigger network
marketing business. And he does so in a humble, concise, clear and practical way. Truly simple.
Bravo!
Art Jonak
Network Marketing Professional,
Founder of The Network Marketing Mastermind Event
Wes is a caring, compassionate leader, coach and mentor helping people win the Live First, Work
Second game. With over fifteen years of experience in building a network marketing business, Wes
has helped thousands of people achieve what he managed to do himself in just five years, by the time
he was twenty-four, which was to become non-essential to the creation of his income. This book is
packed full of tips and ideas for fast track network marketing success. A must read!
Chris Williams
Network Marketing Professional,
Author of Dont Just Dream It Do It
Goal Setting that REALLY works for Network Marketers
This book provides the perfect blend of practical tips that make it simple to market and grow a
business that is successful and profitable. Follow Wess advice and watch your profits soar! This
book is a must have, and I plan to order a copy for all of my team members.
Lynn Huber
Network Marketing Professional and USA Leader
Wes Linden is a highly professional and inspirational network marketing leader, whose hardworking approach, warmth and willingness to support his team, have resulted in his current wellearned success. Anyone seeking to follow in his footsteps will find their chances greatly enhanced by
reading this book, and following the tips and advice it contains.
The Hon. Charles Wigoder
Executive Chairman of a major
UK Network Marketing Company
Wes delivers powerful, practical ideas that will instantly boost your bottom line, as well as increase
your belief for what is possible in the network marketing profession.
Sarah Robbins
Network Marketing Professional and USA Leader,
Author of Rock Your Network Marketing Business
What if the best people in the world agreed to sit down with you and tell you what they know? What
if Nelson Mandela spoke to you about leadership? Would you take a golf lesson from Tiger Woods?
How about if Elton John said he would be your singing coach? If you are committed to making
fundamental changes in any area of your life you should commit to learning from the best.
For anyone who wants to change their personal finances positively, have fun doing it and still
have time for their kids, hobbies and interests Wes Lindens 79 Network Marketing Tips for FastTrack Success is a must read.
In this remarkable book Wes shares easy-to-understand advice on what he knows best, meaning
you are getting guidance from one of the most successful network marketing professionals around.
Barry Duddy
Author of Personal Best
I had the opportunity to finally hear Wes speak at The Network Marketing Mastermind Event in
Orlando, and he lived up to and blew past his impressive reputation. Few speakers today talk from
actual heartfelt experience and authentic truth. This book is a reflection of real work, real struggle and
real results. The wise man learns from the experiences of others and Wes lays down some powerful
truths here. Live by them.
Richard Bliss Brooke
Author of The Four Year Career and
Mach II, The Art of Vision and Self Motivation
Wes is a great example of how the future leadership of Network Marketing should be. He focuses
and trains on the needs, goals and objectives of the individual and on the relationships we build,
over and above any material or personal income he may gain.
I say this with absolute authority as I am privileged to have known him as a good friend for the
last fifteen years. His first book is a must read for anyone serious about building long-term
relationships and a great residual income.
Steve Critchley
Network Marketing Professional and UK Leader
If you want to fast-track your network marketing business and avoid some of the pitfalls and common
mistakes a new distributor can easily mistake, this is the guide for you! Having successfully built a
network marketing business myself, I smiled reading this insightful book as Wes has captured the
essence of what to do and what not to do in growing an effective and profitable business. Its a
must for all new distributors. It is easy to read, simple to understand and clearly laid out. I will
certainly be recommending it!
Carol Sinfield
Network Marketing Professional and UK Leader
I love 79 Network Marketing Tips! (and I dont remember ever saying that before). Wes Linden
claims to be giving readers Insider Tips For Fast Track Success. Thats a classic demonstration of
under-promising and over-delivering. What Wes has put together would take most people years
more accurately decades to learn. Ive been in this profession for more than 25 years and Wess 79
Tips have already taught me things I didnt know and need to know! This is something I want
everyone in my business to have a much-used copy of. Its a truly valuable and useful resource. I think
its a great book!
John Milton Fogg
Author of The Greatest Networker in the World
Introduction
Having spent more than fifteen years making lots of errors, mistakes and downright foolish decisions,
I felt it was only right to share some of the pitfalls you could easily be snared by in advance of them
happening.
In this time, I have built one of the largest and most successful teams with a leading network
marketing business, hitting the top positions in that Compensation Plan and become one of the biggest
earners in the network marketing profession.
Along with some great colleagues, Ive overseen and pioneered the nationwide training programme
for this Company and learnt the value of having a positive, friendly everyone is welcome to share
and learn policy to anyone from our profession who wants to succeed, no matter what team, payline
or even what network marketing business they are part of.
However, my nature is such that titles and material possessions are less important to me than lifestyle,
choices, experiences and the people we choose to share our time with, so helping others succeed is a
very important way that I can give back to a profession that has ensured that, after dropping out of
university at the age of twenty, I have never had a proper job.
Along the way, Ive met thousands upon thousands of good people who have encountered many of the
hurdles I discuss in the book, but have not had sufficient guidance or a framework for which to
overcome them. It is time for that to change.
Within these pages youll find a collection of the 79 things you will come across and how to work
your way through them. Why 79? Well, why not 79?!
Dont down tools to read this book! Youll never actually know everything before you start. Its
only experience that will actually get you to where you want to be and will help you have a better
understanding of the profession we are in. But that doesnt mean I cant give you a heads-up about
what may try and bite you.
If you have already got past first base and are starting to build your team, there are Leaders Tips at
the end of every bite-sized nugget for you to digest as you start to lead others. If youre a little more
advanced with your business-building and you are already leading a fair-sized team, youll certainly
benefit from reading these points, reminding you a little bit of where you were in months or years (or
even decades!) gone by when you first started, bringing you face-to-face with the very real issues
your new people may be facing.
I wish you well with building your business and hope youll find this an easy-to-read book which you
can pick up and look at time and time again (where different things will make more sense at different
stages in your business).
Happy reading! Your friend in the profession,
www.weslinden.com/79tips
Therell be more tips and resources there plus a link to my Facebook and Twitter pages should
you wish to connect in this way. Be assured, integrity is exceptionally important to me (I am a
soccer referee after all, and have officiated within the professional leagues for several years!) and
so only generic hints and information will be shared with you.
join!
Listen more, say less, dont over-complicate things, keep yourself as someone that people could
replicate, and youve got every chance of success!
Leaders Tip Help your new team members by inviting them to prospect you so that you can
hear first-hand whether they are overdoing it. If they are struggling when they are face-to-face
with people, either try and go with them on some appointments or ask them to use their phone to
record some for you to feedback on.
Leaders Tip Recognise this in your team members, where they are spending too long on one
prospect. I find by asking people about their activity over the past few days you start to realise if
they are focusing too much in one place, or likewise if they keep asking you questions about the
next plan of attack for the sister of my next-door neighbour, you should look to make them
conscious, in a polite way of course, of the thousands of other people in their local area and the
millions of people in the country!
normal, sensible human beings. This means when you are out in these social environments, you can
build friendships and relationships with your peer group, which will keep your social life happy and
sow seeds for future conversations.
The more questions you can ask people, the more curious you can be about them, the more likely you
are to find out their hot buttons and how you can help them, either with your products, opportunity or
both.
Now, what do you make of this? A lady I know who is a network marketing distributor, asked for
advice on a forum about sending out her wedding invitations with a note attached which said that she
and her new husband did not want a gift, but instead everyone should use the money to join her
opportunity as a distributor. Naturally, she got several hundred responses suggesting to her that this
was a mistake!
Does that story sit right with you? Probably not scale this down a bit and its not that much less
palatable than a loud-mouthed stroll into the local bar or canteen where you proclaim to everyone
how they must BUY BUY BUY from you.
By the way, if you think Im exaggerating here and you can buck the trend give it a go! Let me know
how it works, while you lick your wounds at the same time!
Leaders Tip Prevent your team from doing this. Too many people will be lost due to shouting
too loudly in front of big, rowdy crowds! Ensure they know what is appropriate and where they
are better-placed to simply build relationships and grow their friendships.
Leaders Tip Teams need to be led. Ensuring you are always reminding your team of when the
next training sessions are and getting them buddying up with other distributors at the events and
car-sharing, will allow them to swap ideas and experiences with their peers.
Leaders Tip Simple skills such as Colours are important for you to understand, not only for
when you are dealing with different types of people in your business, but also to help those in
your team who perhaps struggle to understand that a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to
bring them the results they desire.
Leaders Tip Team socials, coffee mornings and buddying people up will contribute towards
satisfying your new team members desire for a regular dose of interaction and positive
association.
Where people fall down when it comes to list-building, is by omitting some acquaintances. Heres a
suggestion if you can think of their name, include it on your list. You may not have seen them for
thirty years, but add them anyway. You may have no idea how you are going to get in touch with them
but you should still add them.
Heres an additional memory jogger that you can use:
Who do you know that
Why do I say to add everyone you can think of? Firstly, building a massive list psychologically helps
you to realise you have a lot of people to contact. If you have got five people on your list, and one
says no 20% of your potential business is gone! But if you have five hundred people on your list
and one says no you still have 99.8% of your list to approach!
Secondly, the mind and the universe have a funny way of bringing us into contact with people we have
not seen for a while when we add them to our list. How? Its not actually magic it just means your
senses are heightened to that person and if you walk past them in the shopping centre, youre more
tuned in to recognise them, when you may have otherwise not noticed their smile, voice or eyes
through the crowd.
Thirdly, when you come across someone who was previously a mutual contact of yours and a contact
you havent seen for a long time, you get a little jolt to the memory-box and hear a voice saying: Ask
about whether theyve seen Peter recently or: Ask if they know what Shannon is up to now.
Even if they dont know and havent heard from them for a while either guess what? weeks later
they may spot them on Facebook in someone elses wedding photos, or may bump into an old
acquaintance who knows the mystery friend.
None of this is to say you should instantly start selling the business opportunity or product and
services to your old acquaintance when you catch up with them again no you need to build a
relationship with them, find out where theyre at and who knows? they could be in the right place
to hear what you have to offer. If not, stay in touch and not only might you rekindle an old friendship,
but youll be in the vicinity when the time is right for them to consider what your business offers.
Leaders Tip Ask to see your team members list. Let them see yours (it better be big!) and
help them expand on the names they currently have already. The list is never actually big enough.
You can spend a whole hour or more doing this every time you see them, using FROGS and
whatever other imaginative stuff you can think of! Do not allow people to rely on iPhones,
laptops, spreadsheets or databases they need a simple and duplicable list that they can share
with their team when it grows (and if their team doesnt grow, it means they dont have a big
enough list!).
Tip 8 Dont be afraid of the big wide world thats out there
As discussed already, we probably know around 500 people by name by the time we are eighteen. If
each of them introduced us to ten other people via referrals (also discussed in more detail in Tip 9)
then thats 5000 people. Now, if we continue pushing this equation, it wouldnt take long to cover the
whole of the country!
However, taking a more pragmatic approach to the maths, even if you only take the 500 people you
know personally, theres still another 59,999,500 people (or so) in the UK who you dont know (or
lots, lots more in Europe or the USA if your business operates in these areas).
Thats a big target market! So, if you want to expand beyond your warm market to top-up your
prospecting pipeline into a more cold market, this is not a difficult thing to do. Whether this be
through networking events, team-organised events at local county shows, ftes, boot sales and fairs,
making personal contact with those in your street and the surrounding districts, postcards in the shops
around your area, wearing an attention-grabbing badge, speaking to people when youre out and
about, utilising permitted online and social media opportunities, chatting to local fellow business
owners the sky is the limit and there really is no reason why you should ever feel theres no-one to
speak to.
Its also really important not to prejudge the outcome or someones likelihood of saying yes based
on how you find them when you meet them for example, they may seem a little down or lacking in
spark, but maybe its a bad day, or theyre not enjoying their job, or theyre deep in thought, or
something is wrong at home. Until you smile and open up the conversation, youll never know.
One thing some people tend to find more advantageous in the cold arena is that the people you are
talking to do not already know you as a carpenter, shop worker, teacher or mum, hence you may not
have to overcome that mental stumbling block that can psychologically hinder (unnecessarily in my
opinion) some folk.
Heres a thought for you network marketing is about networking!
Next time the local distributor from one of the catalogue-based businesses puts something through
your door or you see a card in a shop window for another network marketing business, why not
change your thinking on your approach for this, from desperately trying to recruit them from their
business into yours, into thinking more professionally.
This person isnt bait, or a target they are a network marketing colleague. The tens of millions of
people who arent network marketing distributors for a company in your country are your targets.
So, why not pop an order in for something useful from their offering, with a note saying Hey
thanks for the catalogue I always like to support other network marketers. If you fancy a coffee
some time to chat and see if we can learn some tips and share some local contacts, then heres my
phone number 07123 456789, Best wishes, Jamie.
You might find that person becomes a far more valuable contact for you than trying to just leave them
with your card, DVD and opportunity brochure!
Whatever your approaches, these can end up costing you money. Consider reinvesting your profits
from your network marketing business or be sure to have a set budget which isnt going to see you
going hungry the following week.
The key is, always be open to other ways of increasing your list but be sure to take advice from
those more senior in the business as to what has worked and what hasnt, to save yourself some time.
Leaders Tip Even if the cold market isnt your favoured route, it may work for some people
and if they want to try it, guide them as best you can or put them in touch with people who have
had success in that area. I dont believe any of this should mean people completely ignore their
warm market.
Leaders Tip Master referrals yourself and this will make it easier to teach. A team full of
people who are competent at getting referrals will grow the business much quicker.
Leaders Tip As a Leader, you should be making a welcome phone call to every new
distributor in your team, and encourage all others in the sponsorship line to do the same to each
new person. There are so many benefits to this:
a different voice who they can create synergy and rapport with;
tips and advice;
helps the new person feel a sense of belonging and part of something special;
makes them realise theres plenty of support and a totally different working environment to anything theyve experienced before.
I think this approach increases retention considerably and it is something I have used and taught
regularly in my business and when speaking abroad.
One thing youll come to realise is that your superstars can come from anywhere and every
dud knows a stud so you need to have a handle on who is joining so you can get to know the
future Leaders from day one.
As a Leader, encourage cross-networking with other people outside of the team this is one way
that people really can grow. Of course, once your new team member has a group that starts
growing beyond their own efforts, the chances are they will duplicate these early welcome calls
which will be great for your business in the long term.
has taught us and to which the conventional job market has conditioned us.
My top tip for you is to ask what is the favourite personal development book or CD of those who
have achieved what you are looking to emulate and then get it! If you can find time to read, for
example, five of your ten pages a day, first thing in the morning, and then the other five before you go
to sleep, you really are setting your day up well, while sending yourself to sleep in a positive frame
of mind. CDs are also great for the car journey to and from work, plus technology means you can
download audios and have them on your phone or iPod for listening to on the train, when at the gym
or walking the dog.
One thing I believe every person who is looking to be successful should do in order to ensure they get
a guaranteed monthly fix of personal development is to join the Knowledge is King Book of the
Month club. You get the latest and hottest new-release book or CD sent direct, often before it is
freely available to the general public. Postage and packing is free and it costs around the same as a
cinema ticket each month. For more details go to www.knowledgeisking.co.uk. For those outside the
UK, check with your upline team to see if there are similar subscription opportunities available.
Ultimately, unless youre a footballer, a dancer or an artist, we are all minimum wage workers from
the neck down, so whatever you can do to develop your mindset, attitude and thinking can only benefit
you as you strive for success.
Oh, and if youre one of the people who says: I dont need that mumbo-jumbo stuff then you
definitely need it!
Leaders Tip In the earliest days when new distributors may not realise the value of this input,
lend them a book or CD of your own. Indeed, if you have your own small library and you get
people started this way (keep a note of who borrows what though), youll find it wont be long
before they start investing in these materials themselves and then when they start to build their
team, theyll do the same!
weeks, months or even years to join the business but go on to make a real impact. If they had been
deleted from someones list and never had the business mentioned to them again, they would never
have been able to rewrite their life story by being given the chance to make changes that another forty
years in the conventional job market would not offer them.
One of the most profitable legs in my own team came from one of the many people who I have kept in
contact with for years on end in this particular case, ten years was how long it took for the timing to
be right for him to join.
The same principle applies to those becoming customers, the timing has to be right for them.
Start your list books right away and keep adding to them!
Leaders Tip Being a Leader means having a Leaders vision well into the future and
realising that this is a longer term plan than just your first few conversations. Ensure that you
keep your own lists in this manner and have your own No for Now book (in green if you want)
and let your team see this. The more they see you do, the more they are likely to emulate.
Jordan Adler keeps it as simple as the black and green book so it passes his Eight Year Old
Test, in that anything he does or teaches has to be so simple that an eight year old can do it this
is something to live by yourself.
Leaders Tip Always be sure to check with your new distributors whether they mentioned the
opportunity when they are letting you know the good news about their latest customer sale!
Leaders Tip Help your team members understand this, keep their spirits high when it happens
and youll grow a great business!
Leaders Tip Keep your team focused on the long term, and mindful that not everyone is going
to say (or needs to say) yes the first time theyre spoken to. Remind your team members to
remain relaxed and to breathe properly and this will increase their odds of introducing those
prospects they are talking to.
Leaders Tip Basic practices like this will ensure your team members are walking the walk
and proud of the Company (and profession) you both represent work with them to ensure they
are conscious of this area of warm lists and be certain they talk to them about their business.
Leaders Tip Do you really understand the true value of residual income? If not, try taking
three months off work without notice and dont mention it to your boss and see how much you
earn from your conventional job! Its vital that you help your team understand this because
nobody who truly understands the magic of residual income will ever quit your business.
Leaders Tip Its another very basic but major killer of businesses you need to ensure your
team are not keeping their great new business a secret, otherwise they can come to all the
meetings, buy all the books, but theyll never progress.
Leaders Tip Its important to have empathy with your team members in terms of their other
commitments and not come across as a bully. Its their business at the end of the day! However,
when you notice them blowing hot and cold it is important for you to get an understanding of what
is going on, whether theres problems at home or work, and if you can help. Your support for
them extends beyond just answering product questions and when you show them you care, youll
never lose them.
Remember, people dont care how much they know, until they know how much you care.
Leaders Tip Whenever a team member mentions they are off to hand out some paraphernalia,
be sure to check with them how they are doing with their own warm list and referrals. They may
be in need of some extra coaching or support.
Leaders Tip Look out for the analytical types who spend too long trying to cover every
eventuality and have a spreadsheet of every single competitor tariff or product offering they are
non-duplicable and are likely to blow out all prospects who are not analysers (which will be the
majority). They will think that just because they might like finer detail, that everyone is the same.
How many people really know exactly what their mortgage rate is or the miles per gallon their
car does? If people dont know these details, are they really likely to want to know every iota of
comparative analysis on your products or services? Coach them to understand that by focusing on
benefits rather than features, and leading with their personality, they are likely to have more
widespread appeal.
Leaders Tip This is a really important message and one you should be sure to point out to
your team. You wont ever win with this point, no matter how much you tell yourself youre right,
there will always be one that catches you out and luck will doubtless mean that when it does
catch you out, itll be a costly mistake!
Leaders Tip The smart Leader will be one step ahead with this, ensuring their new folk are
given as much incentive as possible to get started.
Section 2: Skills
guard against any co-operative interaction with you about the business opportunity. Prospect lost.
My preferred way to respond to such responses would be: The supermarket do some terrific ownbrand stuff dont they? or Super Power great, theyre pretty good arent they? or Joness
Coffee Shop excellent do you enjoy it?
Because I havent insulted their choice, theyre more likely to share with me their true feelings and
since most people like to share negatives rather than positives, theres a good chance theyll start
telling me what they feel about the Super Power customer service experience or how the supplements
from the local supermarket are cheap and not really working, or how they feel they have hit a brick
wall in their career and theyre working too many hours.
So next time youre about to respond to a prospect when theyre telling you of a decision they made,
be careful not to call them a silent idiot
Leaders Tip If your team member is not getting many sign-ups or appointments based on their
effort, you may well need to listen to some of their presentations or prospecting to check that
theyre not unwittingly saying silent idiot to their prospects!
Leaders Tip This is an important one for Leaders too. When you get a team member telling
you of a challenge they are having, they are reaching out for support. Telling them to just get
over it, or well I can do it so why cant you? is not going to work for most personality types.
By meeting them where they are at with empathy you can help bring them to where they need to
be without facing a stand-off or alienating them.
Leaders Tip Getting your team to stop selling and keep quiet and to actually ask a closing
question is something you need to focus your time on. Get this bit right and your new team
members will fly! Underestimate its importance and youll always be wondering why growth is
slow.
Leaders Tip Simple odds improving tips like this are useful to be shared with your team to
help them ensure you share yours as well but dont try and turn them into super-slick
salespeople as most folk feel they havent got the gift of the gab so we must not make them think
they need it.
Leaders Tip These quick and simple top tips are great for sharing with your team on a phone
call, at a team meeting or on a conference call. Easy for anyone to implement and great to help
your team get more people into their pipeline. Dont bombard them but you are likely to have lots
of these in your locker that you dont think anything of. Get them out!
Leaders Tip Can you help your team with chicken list calls? Its a great habit to get into.
Assign some time specifically to build a chicken list with them as you will find that simply by
having those names down increases the chances of them talking to a person they would otherwise
never have dared to.
Leaders Tip Keep spirits high among your team members and ensure they know that youve
had ups and downs too, and as long as they keep their focus, the ups will outweigh the downs.
Leaders Tip Even though the opportunity presentations are not major events, they are a
fantastic way to keep your existing team motivated and associating with others. Ensure your team
members know when these local events are and keep in touch with them to see how the invites
are going. Gathering together in the bar area afterwards, even for a soda water or pot of tea, is
where top tips are shared and belief is built. The strongest teams I notice, always have the
strongest attendance at these type of events.
Leaders Tip Good practice and useful tips like this need to be shared. Do it yourself and
share it with your team.
Leaders Tip Ensure your new team members dont fixate on the inevitable no responses
theyll get and make sure early on they understand the importance of keeping their No for Now
list while concentrating on prospecting for the people that will say yes.
Leaders Tip One of the first things you should do as a Leader is ensure your new team
members are signed up themselves to be a consumer. They need to understand that this is a
serious error in judgement if they dont and that, in theory, you really cant give them as much
time as you would have done as they are showing themselves to be half-hearted.
Leaders Tip This will separate the players from the pretenders. If youre thinking what if I
train them and they leave? I would ask what if you dont train them and they stay?
Leaders Tip Play your part in ensuring that new people understand the importance of events,
how great they are and how they have helped your business. Help them with diarising the dates
so that nothing gets in the way and, where necessary, arrange car shares and even team socials
around them.
There may also come a time when you have a desire for further learning and experiences beyond
the Company events you attend. This is perfectly natural and I found this to be a great benefit to
my business when the time was right.
Events such as the MLM Cruise (read Richard Fentons & Andrea Waltzs book Million Dollar
Year, which gives you a flavour of how powerful a learning opportunity the cruise is) and the
Network Marketing Mastermind Event are generic conferences where theres strict no
sponsoring rules and so you are entirely safe there with your team but you get to mix and mingle
with some of the leading global network marketing professionals and hear keynote speeches from
those at the very top of their game, while sharing experiences and good practice (and making
friends) with people from all over the world, where you suddenly realise other network
marketers are your colleagues, not your competition (nor are they targets for your opportunity).
Leaders Tip Master the skill of promoting events and youre pretty much set for life!
Leaders Tip Facilitate this process at gatherings by grabbing the faces and getting them into
a photo with your new folk. Once theyve had a bit of encouragement from you to do this, theyll
be doing it themselves in no time!
By having your own folder full of testimonials that you can show your team members, this will
set the perfect example for them to duplicate.
Leaders Tip Take note, give people something they feel part of and you significantly reduce
the chances of losing them.
Leaders Tip Help focus your newbies on getting targets met early, without pressurising them
and by leading from the front with your own targets you can ensure that this process is
something they want to emulate!
Leaders Tip New people may occasionally feel overwhelmed with what they need to do and
have to learn. This is natural and we all tend to feel like this. Always remind them that just to
touch their business each day will keep them ticking along towards their prize goal no matter
how busy or flustered they may feel.
Leaders Tip When you start to build a team, be sure not to intimidate people by only
reporting your success stories. Let the team know your results only come through your activity
and be humble enough to admit that you have your disappointments too!
Leaders Tip As a Leader consider you may not always be the person best-placed to advise a
team member on a method or a query they have, so facilitate putting them in touch with
colleagues and peers with other strengths who may be able to help and inspire them in different
areas to yourself.
Leaders Tip As a Leader you need to look to facilitate and organise this type of culture. You
cannot look to such things as: How many customers joined my group as a result of having that
coffee with Suzie last week or: Its three days since that BBQ and that damn Craig ate four
of my burgers but hasnt got promoted yet!
You will not really be able to directly measure the actual result of such activities but trust that
over time, this is a sound way to build your team. New people will come along and think: Wow,
these people actually get on with those they work with and theyre nice to me too, I wanna
be part of this! You cant put a price on that. If these events arent happening in your area or
arent available for your team from those upline to you, then you organise them after all, its
your name on the commission cheque!
Leaders Tip If you dont keep in regular contact with people irrespective of whether they
are struggling, a bit quiet and inactive, or whether theyre a likely superstar, theres every chance
they will fade out of your business.
Leaders Tip Keep an eye out for the enthusiastic team member who luvvvvvvvvs everything
about the Company and check with them how their opportunity presentations are going, and roleplay with them to be sure that it is not an evangelical product-fest with no attention paid to the
prospect and their desires.
Leaders Tip When speaking to your team members if you learn they are struggling to get
appointments for presentations, you need to spend time with them observing their approach. You
can be fairly sure that, if theyre not getting appointments, its either because they are saying too
much in the lead-up or they arent even trying, so some role-play and teamwork will help you to
help them overcome these issues.
Tip 48 Too much info to too few people tell less to more!
Occasionally someone will tell me that they are disappointed with their results over the previous
weeks or months. When I ask them to analyse what their activity has actually been and with whom, we
suddenly begin to piece together the realisation that, actually, they may well have spent too long
chasing, or speaking to, not enough people.
So, for example, the time they have put into their business has been following up, speaking to and
sending more information to the same prospect or prospects.
It is, of course, an important part of getting positive results that people are kept in touch with and
followed up (and following-up precisely when you say you will is vital if you want people to take
your business seriously) however, the net needs to be wider so that you are exposing yourself to
more people and, where possible, you are giving slightly less info than regurgitating the complete
business manual front-to-back.
This is not advocating the scatter-gun approach, but it is important you are keeping the pipeline
flowing!
Leaders Tip Do ask team members to show you their list from time to time if theyre
obsessing with the same person and saying too much to them, itll be fairly obvious when they
admit how few of the people on the list they have actually contacted.
Leaders Tip You can help your team adopt this mindset by initially scanning and emailing
headlines and articles to them and offering advice on how they can use this to their advantage.
Warning them sending the headlines en masse to all their contacts or posting them on Facebook
with the words: youre all doomed or similar is likely to alienate people. Subtlety is the key
for example: Worrying headline this morning for those hoping to retire before 70 is more
Leaders Tip Lead by example with this make sure you adopt this practice. Then, when new
team members have presentations let them know that they need to have a DVD or prospecting
tool with them to give to the person irrespective of whether they sign up or not.
Leaders Tip Helping your team members get used to mapping, tracking and celebrating their
activity on their journey will build your business. When someone is off-track and not getting
results, its worth getting a handle on their actual activity. This will likely help both you, and,
more importantly, them, to see where things arent working.
Leaders Tip Lead from the front if youre making calls when ironing, driving, walking the
dog or whatever it may be, but you are clearly using your time wisely, let your team know this
when you speak to them. Firstly, it is polite to let them know they may hear some background
noise, but more importantly, it plants a seed that they could be doing the same during their
unprofitable moments in the day.
Leaders Tip Networking events are a great way to meet good prospects with a get-up-andgo mentality who are useful to building a business. Work these right and youll flourish, but if
your team think theyre going to swoop in and succeed, its your role to help them see the error of
their ways.
Leaders Tip Keep your team members focused on the big picture dont over-dramatise the
niggles; dont pour fuel on the fire. Help people learn from their challenges and move on towards
the major goal.
Got told I looked 25 today. Not bad for a 42-year old! Loving my new skincare range.
Jayne starts school tomorrow but Im so glad Im one of those mums who can work from home for
myself now rather than go back to work
Creating curiosity for those in your social circle rather than directly selling to them is far more likely
to get people sending you a response or a direct message asking you what you are up to. Although this
may not happen the first time they see your post, it will have a compound effect and over time people
will notice a difference and comment.
You are advised to private message them in response rather than have an online conversation which
others can see (for example, on your Facebook wall) as this prevents others interfering in your
conversation or prejudging what you are going to say prior to you being able to interact with them
directly.
Be more creative with your social media posts and youll see the results over time and keep your
friends in the process!
Leaders Tip This is another point where you need to lead from the front watch what you
yourself are posting. Some of the rather more brusque Leaders (theyll be the red types if you
understand Colours as discussed in Tip 5!) will say Its none of your business what other
people think of you. Wrong. It most certainly is your business what people think of you and
your venture, because if they dont like you or trust you, they wont be joining nor will they be
referring anyone to you.
Keep an eye on what your team members are writing and if you need to speak to them about it, be
sure to do so to avoid them blowing out their prospects.
Leaders Tip Look out for this in your new people and be sure to alert them to the possibility
that this is how they may be coming across, particularly if they are putting in a lot of activity with
not enough results.
Leaders Tip Ensure your team has faith in the concept of the long-term friends we make
before and during someone becoming part of your network marketing business. Relationships,
trust and friendships are built for the best and most honest reasons. They need your help
understanding that its the relationship that is key and that the sign-up can come when the time is
right, providing they like you enough.
Leaders Tip When a new team member isnt getting the results that their efforts suggest they
should be getting, make sure you find a way to hear their presentation and some of their
prospecting calls whether it be in person, over the phone role-playing with you, or by getting
them to record themselves on their smartphone and letting you listen. This coaching will be
invaluable and will ensure they are doing more of the right things! A great tool to help you with
this is Questions are the Answers by Allan Pease.
Tip 59 Plan the free time you have for the business but dont
forget your family
One of the many reasons that people join this profession is to create a better lifestyle and generate
more choices for themselves and their family.
In the short and medium term, this will mean some sacrifices. It may mean missing an occasional
birthday or BBQ but this will be more than made up for by the choices and opportunities you will
have in the future as a result of the occasional sacrifice.
However, while on your journey, do ensure that your diary includes some family and/or partner time.
If you never make time to go to the cinema, or out for a drink, a day-trip or even just walk the dog
together, youll naturally lose support from those for whom you are working hard.
You need those close to you onside and invested in what you are aiming to achieve. Even if they are
not active in the business, ensure they know of your successes and invite them to the occasional
Company event and also social gatherings where they get to meet other people. Keeping them in the
picture, engaged, and not neglecting them, will ensure they back you, making the whole journey much
more pleasurable and tension-free!
Leaders Tip Lead from the front with this one ensure your team see and know that youre
making time for those close to you so they are totally clear that this is to be encouraged and that
balance is important.
Leaders Tip Learn to spot when your new team members need to focus beyond the one prize
prospect they have in their mind and guide them on this tactfully!
Leaders Tip When your newbie starts to ask you about what to write in emails to everyone
they know, you need to step in. Its not a numbers game when it means alienating people from
ever taking your new distributors business really seriously.
Leaders Tip Coach your team on the value of building relationships and sowing seeds, while
learning when it is the right time to directly prospect. If this profession is about relationship
marketing then remember the word relationship comes before marketing.
Leaders Tip There is space for technology to be utilised for keeping in contact with your
team, but ensure it is used in moderation and not to the detriment of a human relationship. Should
you notice team members relying too greatly on technology, you need to have a coaching chat
with them about getting the balance right.
Leaders Tip Like so many of the points covered in this book, your role is to help control your
distributors emotions when they get told no and help focus their mindset on the long term,
realising that this is simply part of the process.
Leaders Tip Recognition its said that babies cry for it, soldiers die for it its a really
useful tool in your armoury, use it wisely and empathetically.
Leaders Tip Your encouragement and belief in your new guys will make a real difference
ensure they know you are right behind them and that you know they can do whatever they put their
mind to. Believing in themselves is a great reason why you must not do it for them, but simply
help them to move their business forward, so that they start to foster self-belief and you dont
create a culture of dependency.
Leaders Tip If you notice a new team member isnt really getting the results, theres a good
chance they are suffering from NEPL rash Not Enough People Looking! A fatal illness that
needs early treatment!
Leaders Tip Think big picture help your team get trained and get started but assist them to
focus on the team-building aspect as well as building the customer base, rather than them just
simply retailing the products and services.
Leaders Tip A suggestion from a team member that they may slow down or quit is not a
reason to disown them. This is where they need you most. Likewise, if someone stops returning
your calls, they could be embarrassed about their lack of progress and may be feeling down
about the business its here you earn your corn, dont count them out too soon.
Williams released a very good CD set which makes helpful listening for people in our profession
who are looking to set goals effectively, called Dont Just Dream It Do It Goal-Setting that
REALLY works for Network Marketers.
Many years of spending time with those who are succeeding in building their business tells me that
those who have very clearly defined goals tend to do much better than those who have vague, nonspecific goals.
It may take a little time and it may seem a little challenging you may even need some help from a
mentor or sponsor to do this well, but its very much worth clearly defining your reason for starting
this business.
When someone told you about your network marketing business, you said yes for a reason. Maybe it
was for several reasons. All of them were very valid at the time and undoubtedly (based on the
proven success already seen within the business), achievable.
A slow start or a couple of knock-backs do not make those reasons any less real. They may seem a
little further away if time is a problem or if you havent bothered to learn and practise the skills, and
follow the system. However, that doesnt mean they are less achievable than they were, it just means
that you may have to realign your plans, priorities and focus. It is vital to realise that you can achieve
almost anything you want to from network marketing (but it doesnt happen overnight).
Its very, very rare to learn that someone has found a viable and realistic vehicle to help them achieve
significant goals once they put their network marketing business to the side. That isnt to say people
cant have creative ideas to build their financial freedom, however this is a tough economy, the world
has changed a lot over the last few years and the chance to build a residual, walkaway income, is
unique. I would go so far as to say we will never see these kinds of opportunity in any other
profession.
Leaders Tip Your team members need your help to create a clear vision for their future and
identifying their true reason be sure to provide that help. Then, you need to ensure your goals
are big enough to encompass the goals your team has. I have often pinned key team members
goals up on my wall so I can remember what we are all working towards. Ensuring you know
why your new team members joined to begin with will help you realign them if they go off-piste.
Leaders Tip Be sure to celebrate team members achievements with personal contact and a
proper pat on the back and make sure you ask them what they are doing to celebrate to ensure that
they are rewarding themselves properly.
Leaders Tip Ensure you encourage your team members to mix and mingle at events very early
on in their careers. Someone may say the exact same thing that you say, word for word, but it may
strike a chord with them because of the different character.
Leaders Tip As a Leader you need your radar on when your team members are constantly
telling you about their plans but not actually acting on them. Spot the regular promises of
greatness which fail to deliver a result and find tactful ways to discuss this with them they may
well be in need of some help or guidance.
Leaders Tip To quote the great Jim Rohn: You can help a thousand but you cant carry
three on your back. However much you think youre Superman and even if you feel that doing
everything for people is going to build your business youre not, and it isnt! To coin another
well-known phrase: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and
you feed him for a lifetime.
Leaders Tip As a Leader be careful not to spend too much of your time writing about your
favourite reality TV programme on Facebook or talking about celebrity tittle-tattle too much
during the lunch break at Company events. Why not? Your team will follow you if you want a
business that is full of people who spend their spare time watching an electronic income-reducer
instead of building their dreams, then let them know you spend your time watching X-Factor and
Big Brother. Instead, set an example that says youre building a better future and you give
Leaders Tip If you want to avoid having to start new legs from scratch keep on top of this
one, ensuring your team members have your support when they have an issue but that you do not
over-dramatise it or get caught up in their story. Discuss it, offer advice, try to resolve it, but
ensure they know they need to move on. Ensure that negatives only go upline and never downline
or sideline. Only positives should ever travel down from you to the team. There can really be no
issue that is so big that it costs time in the quest towards meeting their goals. The important thing
to think of is, do they want to be right, or achieve their goals?
Tip 77 Bigdealitis
I regularly have distributors tell me about the next big customer or team member they are about to
introduce and how, if they can just get this one, everything will change.
This is not true. While a big, high-spending customer is lovely and a new distributor whom you
perceive has a massive database is great, its important to keep your emotions in check and focus on
getting the little things right too.
I have always been fascinated by the people who focus purely on the one big deal, thinking that if they
just pull that off, theyll be able to retire. While these can be brilliant if they come off, you can easily
lose focus on the day-to-day bits and pieces, then if it doesnt come off (which is what can happen in
the real world) you have not progressed at all.
I always remember an example of when a distributor had actually signed up a supposedly big fish
distributor who had promised they were going to sign up thousands of new customers each month.
This became all-consuming and quite a distraction. As it happened, they ran a business and one of
their staff members decided to join as a distributor and a couple of years later they had hit their first
two promotions, introduced a large number of customers and qualified for the Company car scheme,
whereas the big fish (with all their big promises) was no longer even registered as a distributor!
In the world of David and Goliath, the unlikely triumph actually came from another ordinary
distributor, rather than the big deal.
This is not intended to distract you from opportunity, but to remember where the bread and butter is
and anything beyond that is simply a bit of jam on top!
Leaders Tip Your team members will get distracted by this type of exciting deal or prospect
from time to time. Help them and work with them on it, but ensure they are keeping the rest of
their pipeline topped up and not neglecting the bread and butter.
Leaders Tip The moment you pitch any of your team on any other opportunity than the one
that you/they are involved with, you create a culture within your organisation that youll not be
able to change. You send out a message that says youre not wholly committed to making this
business work and you lack belief in it. Likewise, if you spot any team members that have got
distracted with other things whether it is through hearsay, or because they pitched you, you need
to very quickly get on top of this and let them know the pitfalls of becoming a network-junkie.
Leaders Tip Its always a good idea to ensure you have some team contact on or around
commission day. Pick up those who are disappointed and build up those who are delighted.
Good people will be lost if left to stew.
Conclusion
I hope that you found this collection useful and youre able to put these tips into practice on the road
to success in your network marketing business.
Whether you have picked up this book as a newcomer to the profession, are an emerging leader or as
a long-established high performer, this journey to success is not one that comes without pitfalls.
This diagram shows the route that has been taken by everyone who has ever achieved success in our
profession:
Once you accept that the business is simple but not easy, and you commit to staying in the game,
learning and practising the skills, self-development, touching your business every day (even if youre
busy, still try and do at least one thing to grow your network marketing business before you sleep) and
making a better life for yourself, your family and those around you, there is actually nothing that will
stop you.
If you thought it might take you three years and it takes you five, so what? If you thought it might take
you five years and it takes you seven, so what? There arent many other professions that offer these
ongoing rewards which allow time freedom, real choices and serious income, so dont let anything
get in your way.
Its given me great pleasure to share these tips with fellow network marketers. For every colleague
we help succeed in this profession, irrespective of the company they choose to represent, thats
another community of people who have good news to report about network marketing. This only
serves to strengthen and improve the reputation of our business model and attract more people in the
future.
Do come back to the book in the coming days, months and years, where youll have a different
understanding of certain tips because of the experiences you have since had. Already, many people
have told me they will be gifting the book to people in their team or encouraging them to buy it
themselves and, if theres a specific area of the business theyre struggling with, draw their
attention to that particular tip in order to help develop their understanding.
Wishing you every success in your business, until next time
www.weslinden.com/79tips