MLM Success: How To Turn Your Vision Into A Reality
Tim Sales
December 08, 2008
What is the most basic, fundamental action that is necessary to turn you into an MLM powerhouse? When this informaton was shared with several distributors, they said, "that information was worth millions of dollars." Keep reading to see how you can fine-tune your MLM business.
How can someone be effective and make a lot of money in network marketing if they can't organize their life so that they are productive? They can't!
With all the "how to" that I write, it's come to my attention through working with some new distributors that what is really stopping them is their organization skills. After sharing with them the MLM training I'm going to share with you, they said, "that information was worth millions of dollars!"
Let's start out with a definition for the word organized. Organized means: someone who plans their work activities efficiently so as to produce a desired result. Those who don't plan, don't have time to plan or be productive.
The second word I want to define is productive. Productive means: producing a specified result. Anybody can be busy. In fact, most people are. But are they producing their goals?
BEING ORGANIZED AND PRODUCTIVE HAS FOUR MAJOR STEPS:
Step 1) Start with seeing or visualizing the desired outcome before it occurs.
Step 2) Predicting or estimating what needs to be done in order for the outcome to occur.
Step 3) Seeing that each item that needs to get done, does get done and in proper sequence.
Step 4) Writing lessons learned so that you improve.
So let's go over each one of these steps.
Step 1) Start with seeing or visualizing the desired outcome before it occurs. A simple example of this would be: I'm organizing a business meeting (business opportunity meeting).
So I start with seeing the desired outcome.
Example: My Vision for a Business Meeting: Well, I see or visualize or even better diagram the event on paper. I see the event in a professional and convenient location. I see the event being very professional and valuable to all that attend. I see 250 people attending. I see half of those people are guests. I see the room being full of energetic people having fun. I see the guests very interested in the content of the meeting. I see 100 of the guests buying products and/or signing up after the meeting. I see the distributors excited and wanting to do another event.
You get the idea of how to visualize?
So that's Step 1 to being organized and productive: fully seeing the desired outcome BEFORE the event occurs.
Step 2) Predicting or estimating what needs to be done in order for the outcome to occur.
This is the step where one breaks down their vision into projects, then breaks those down further into tasks that get done.
So, let's continue with our example of putting on a business opportunity event. I break my vision of this event into, let's say, three main projects.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
PROJECT #2. The meeting content.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
See, I just broke my vision into three main projects.
So now that it's broken into projects, let's now break each project down into DOABLE TASKS that we can check off as being done. That, by the way is the test of whether you've simplified it into a task or not; whether you can check it off as being done. Tasks get the project done; projects get the vision or goal done.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
TASK 1. Contact three hotels in desirable locations and check availability and price.
TASK 2. Decide on one location and a date.
TASK 3. Get contract signed; make deposit if necessary.
TASK 4. Fax to the hotel a list of items I want in the room: # of chairs, the room temperature, chair arrangement, etc.
PROJECT #2. Meeting content.
TASK 1. Decide length of content.
TASK 2. Decide what content will be presented.
TASK 3. Decide who will present each section of the content.
TASK 4. Decide rehearsal date. Get all presenters' agreement to attend.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
For project #3 to occur, my distributors need to be trained to invite guests, sell products and sign people up.
TASK 1. Set up six Team-Calling dates to ensure 375 guests. If you want 250 people, one half or 125 are guests, and one out of 3 actually show up, you need 375 confirmed guests.
TASK 2. After 1st team calling event, do 1 hour of product training on top 3 products to sell at the event.
TASK 3. After 2nd team calling event, do 1 hour training on product scripts of what to say to sell top 3 products.
TASK 4. After 3rd team calling event, do 1 hour of product sales rehearsals.
TASK 5. After 4th team calling event, hand out list of products, sales aids, and distributor agreements that each distributor needs to have at the event. Ensure they understand why each is necessary.
TASK 6. After 5th team calling event, have distributors team up and walk each through how to sign up a new distributor. Ensure each distributor knows to have product, sales aids and distributor agreements at the event AND knows how to properly sign up a new distributor.
TASK 7. Plan a fun dinner after 6th team calling event. Make it light and fun. Give awards for most dials, most appointments and most improved.
So what have we done so far? We've put our vision on paper. We've broken our vision down into three projects and broken each project down into doable tasks.
Step 3) Seeing that each item does get done and in proper sequence.
This is a quality control check. The person who writes these projects and tasks does not have to do each of these items but should quality check each item to ensure it "looks" the way they have envisioned. You are the "visionary," therefore hold the responsibility that everything occurs as you envisioned.
If during this step, you see a bunch of problems and it is not at all looking like you had envisioned it, DON'T THINK IT'S A DISASTER! Examine what specific thing isn't working correctly and re-write the project or the task to change its direction.
Step 4) Now the final step. Writing lessons learned.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
Lessons learned: Bethesda Hyatt hotel is very professional and is in a great location. Use them again. Build relationship with general manager; then negotiate a better rate.
Lessons learned: We need to warn guests of the $8 parking fee or give them an alternative to park at the diner across the street.
PROJECT #2. Meeting content.
Lessons learned: Train John better on introductions. Specifically he needs to look at the audience more and not bounce back and forth on his feet.
Lessons learned: Sue was great at each point of the presentation. Slide 7 has a typo in the headline.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
Lessons learned: Mark, Paul and Jane didn't bring products to sell. Retrain them on why this is important.
Lessons learned: Too many no-shows. Drill confirmation script for next event.
Lessons learned: Kim is a closing MASTER! Have her teach at the next team calling.
USE THIS ON ANYTHING
What I've just shared with you is completely scalable. What I mean by scalable is that you can use the format for an in-home where you're planning on having 10 of your best friends. Or, you could use the same format for having 5,000 people at a regional event where you have speakers from the corporate office come out. Or, if you want to build a kitchen table or teach your children a foreign language, this same format works.
If you ever find that you feel stuck, overwhelmed or you don't want to do it anymore, the cause is normally that you've not broken the project down into small enough chunks yet. So make each task something you CAN do.
I hope you can see the value in what I've taught you in this article. Many leaders think that network marketing is "event coordinating." It's not. The missing piece is that the event coordinator's job is to ensure the event goes well. The network marketer in contrast who puts on an event, must make sure the OUTCOME goes well. The event coordinator's job is Project 1 - only. A network marketer's job is Project 1, 2, and 3. Many leaders miss this. They have events every week, sometimes twice a week; and big events every month. But they never do 2 and 3.
Much respect and admiration,
Tim Sales
Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Learn how to become a true network marketing professional and sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at Tim Sales' First Class MLM Tools.
How can someone be effective and make a lot of money in network marketing if they can't organize their life so that they are productive? They can't!
With all the "how to" that I write, it's come to my attention through working with some new distributors that what is really stopping them is their organization skills. After sharing with them the MLM training I'm going to share with you, they said, "that information was worth millions of dollars!"
Let's start out with a definition for the word organized. Organized means: someone who plans their work activities efficiently so as to produce a desired result. Those who don't plan, don't have time to plan or be productive.
The second word I want to define is productive. Productive means: producing a specified result. Anybody can be busy. In fact, most people are. But are they producing their goals?
BEING ORGANIZED AND PRODUCTIVE HAS FOUR MAJOR STEPS:
Step 1) Start with seeing or visualizing the desired outcome before it occurs.
Step 2) Predicting or estimating what needs to be done in order for the outcome to occur.
Step 3) Seeing that each item that needs to get done, does get done and in proper sequence.
Step 4) Writing lessons learned so that you improve.
So let's go over each one of these steps.
Step 1) Start with seeing or visualizing the desired outcome before it occurs. A simple example of this would be: I'm organizing a business meeting (business opportunity meeting).
So I start with seeing the desired outcome.
Example: My Vision for a Business Meeting: Well, I see or visualize or even better diagram the event on paper. I see the event in a professional and convenient location. I see the event being very professional and valuable to all that attend. I see 250 people attending. I see half of those people are guests. I see the room being full of energetic people having fun. I see the guests very interested in the content of the meeting. I see 100 of the guests buying products and/or signing up after the meeting. I see the distributors excited and wanting to do another event.
You get the idea of how to visualize?
So that's Step 1 to being organized and productive: fully seeing the desired outcome BEFORE the event occurs.
Step 2) Predicting or estimating what needs to be done in order for the outcome to occur.
This is the step where one breaks down their vision into projects, then breaks those down further into tasks that get done.
So, let's continue with our example of putting on a business opportunity event. I break my vision of this event into, let's say, three main projects.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
PROJECT #2. The meeting content.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
See, I just broke my vision into three main projects.
So now that it's broken into projects, let's now break each project down into DOABLE TASKS that we can check off as being done. That, by the way is the test of whether you've simplified it into a task or not; whether you can check it off as being done. Tasks get the project done; projects get the vision or goal done.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
TASK 1. Contact three hotels in desirable locations and check availability and price.
TASK 2. Decide on one location and a date.
TASK 3. Get contract signed; make deposit if necessary.
TASK 4. Fax to the hotel a list of items I want in the room: # of chairs, the room temperature, chair arrangement, etc.
PROJECT #2. Meeting content.
TASK 1. Decide length of content.
TASK 2. Decide what content will be presented.
TASK 3. Decide who will present each section of the content.
TASK 4. Decide rehearsal date. Get all presenters' agreement to attend.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
For project #3 to occur, my distributors need to be trained to invite guests, sell products and sign people up.
TASK 1. Set up six Team-Calling dates to ensure 375 guests. If you want 250 people, one half or 125 are guests, and one out of 3 actually show up, you need 375 confirmed guests.
TASK 2. After 1st team calling event, do 1 hour of product training on top 3 products to sell at the event.
TASK 3. After 2nd team calling event, do 1 hour training on product scripts of what to say to sell top 3 products.
TASK 4. After 3rd team calling event, do 1 hour of product sales rehearsals.
TASK 5. After 4th team calling event, hand out list of products, sales aids, and distributor agreements that each distributor needs to have at the event. Ensure they understand why each is necessary.
TASK 6. After 5th team calling event, have distributors team up and walk each through how to sign up a new distributor. Ensure each distributor knows to have product, sales aids and distributor agreements at the event AND knows how to properly sign up a new distributor.
TASK 7. Plan a fun dinner after 6th team calling event. Make it light and fun. Give awards for most dials, most appointments and most improved.
So what have we done so far? We've put our vision on paper. We've broken our vision down into three projects and broken each project down into doable tasks.
Step 3) Seeing that each item does get done and in proper sequence.
This is a quality control check. The person who writes these projects and tasks does not have to do each of these items but should quality check each item to ensure it "looks" the way they have envisioned. You are the "visionary," therefore hold the responsibility that everything occurs as you envisioned.
If during this step, you see a bunch of problems and it is not at all looking like you had envisioned it, DON'T THINK IT'S A DISASTER! Examine what specific thing isn't working correctly and re-write the project or the task to change its direction.
Step 4) Now the final step. Writing lessons learned.
PROJECT #1. Hotel meeting location.
Lessons learned: Bethesda Hyatt hotel is very professional and is in a great location. Use them again. Build relationship with general manager; then negotiate a better rate.
Lessons learned: We need to warn guests of the $8 parking fee or give them an alternative to park at the diner across the street.
PROJECT #2. Meeting content.
Lessons learned: Train John better on introductions. Specifically he needs to look at the audience more and not bounce back and forth on his feet.
Lessons learned: Sue was great at each point of the presentation. Slide 7 has a typo in the headline.
PROJECT #3. People buying products and signing up.
Lessons learned: Mark, Paul and Jane didn't bring products to sell. Retrain them on why this is important.
Lessons learned: Too many no-shows. Drill confirmation script for next event.
Lessons learned: Kim is a closing MASTER! Have her teach at the next team calling.
USE THIS ON ANYTHING
What I've just shared with you is completely scalable. What I mean by scalable is that you can use the format for an in-home where you're planning on having 10 of your best friends. Or, you could use the same format for having 5,000 people at a regional event where you have speakers from the corporate office come out. Or, if you want to build a kitchen table or teach your children a foreign language, this same format works.
If you ever find that you feel stuck, overwhelmed or you don't want to do it anymore, the cause is normally that you've not broken the project down into small enough chunks yet. So make each task something you CAN do.
I hope you can see the value in what I've taught you in this article. Many leaders think that network marketing is "event coordinating." It's not. The missing piece is that the event coordinator's job is to ensure the event goes well. The network marketer in contrast who puts on an event, must make sure the OUTCOME goes well. The event coordinator's job is Project 1 - only. A network marketer's job is Project 1, 2, and 3. Many leaders miss this. They have events every week, sometimes twice a week; and big events every month. But they never do 2 and 3.
Much respect and admiration,
Tim Sales
Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Learn how to become a true network marketing professional and sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at Tim Sales' First Class MLM Tools.
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