Leading a downline is a challenging part of any MLM or network marketing business. But effective leadership is a vital part of helping your downline to produce at top levels.
Here are eight success strategies for effective MLM leadership.
1. Ask questions. Effective leadership involves empowering your downline to do things for themselves. Allow your downline to solve their own problems and answer their own questions. Guiding them to the answers is a matter of asking the right questions as an upline:
“What do you think you could do in that situation?”
“What worked out the best for you with this business-building event?”
“How would you handle that differently next time?”
When you are tempted to tell a team member what to do, ask a question instead and allow them to discover the answer for themselves.
2. Find each individual’s personal strength. Many times, the network marketing industry is so focused on duplication that we forget the fact that each individual brings a unique set of skills, strengths, and experiences. Invest some time identifying particular ways that a person can be successful with your business – even if they are beyond the duplicatable system that you have set up.
3. Lead, don’t push. Effective leadership doesn’t involve pushing, dragging, or bribing people to success. Leading is about walking out in front of people, successfully working the business so that they will want to follow you on their own accord. It’s about making personal relationships with people so that they can ask you questions. Provide the information and tools they need, and then inspire them by successfully demonstrating the example yourself.
4. Manage your time effectively. As a leader, you’re constantly identifying the one thing that is the most valuable use of your time, right now. Effective leaders don’t allow each of their team members to chat away for hours on the phone. View yourself as a businessperson, and keep each conversation on task.
5. Teach that consistency is the key to success. Help your downline to understand that success is never about one isolated event. It’s a marathon – not a sprint – with continual and consistent baby steps. Create a list of simple business building tasks, and teach them to keep a log of the tasks completed each day. Whether it’s 3, 5, or 10 tasks, let them know that success depends on how many of these tasks they commit to completing on a consistent basis.
6. Keep consistent communication. Send team updates or newsletters via email to your downline at least every two weeks. Recognize achievements as much as possible. Everyone loves to see his or her name in print. This, in itself, can be tremendously motivating.
7. Know when to move on. Recognize that you can’t make anyone do anything. You can lead, but if one of your downline won’t follow – it might be a better use of your time to find a more self-motivated person than to beat yourself up to motivate someone who, for one reason or another, isn’t working at the business.
8. Take five. Creating a large and successful network marketing team is so fun and rewarding that we sometimes forget to take breaks – and that can lead to burnout. Take some time off every now and then, and enjoy the journey.
By: Jamie Jefferson
Posts Tagged ‘Marketing Strategies’
Network Marketing Success- 8 Strategies for Effective Downline Leadership
November 16th, 2009Dillard’s MLM Attraction Marketing Theory – How it Revolutionized Network Marketing
November 5th, 2009
Mike Dillard, who created the magic network marketing book Magnetic Sponsoring, used the theory of attraction marketing to make more than $354,000 in just a week. No wonder network marketers who wish to earn big want to know more about attraction marketing.
Fortunately, Dillard did not hide his light under a bushel, but decided to teach his business secrets to the network marketing world. As a result of his kind decision, the network marketing world began changing its approach and direction. Thanks to Dillard and his methods, more and more network marketers began using the Internet to build a downline…and they built it really fast.
Dillard’s methods are unique because they teach network marketers to stop hunting for prospects and create circumstances in which prospects begin hunting for them. Using Dillard’s attraction marketing strategies, network marketers attracted a number of prospects, who flocked to them and expressed an interest in joining the business. Dillard, therefore, changed the very texture and flavor of network marketing. Previously a very stressful and frustrating marketing method, network marketing is now extremely rewarding.
A mentor is a must for all network marketers; and this mentor need not necessarily be someone from your upline. You can even access the services of an online mentor. To become a successful network marketer, you require to follow the advice of an expert. This is where attraction marketing comes into the picture.
There are network marketing experts who still encourage you to make a list of warm contacts and present your business plans to them; however, network marketers can achieve better results by using the Internet. You must remember that around one billion people from all over the world use the world wide web. Network marketers who belong to the old school are reluctant about using the Internet and the new strategies of network marketing. They do not understand that fortunes can be made by using Web 2.0. To become an expert in attraction marketing, you must learn to create top Internet content. The Internet is overflowing with innumerable marketing opportunities.
For instance, a network marketer who knows how to design a great landing page can also create video series, eBook, online tutorials and share crucial marketing information with other network marketers. If you have something inspiring to share, you could use your PC to record it, convert it into an MP3 file and upload it Apple iTunes so that the entire world can appreciate it. If you can motivate others, but lack the required technical skills, you can still join social networking sites and share your wonderful marketing advice. This makes you an expert.
The experts are the doers. This is the basic principle of attraction marketing. Avoid hard selling your business opportunity and become an expert. This way you will attract a number of prospects who will ultimately join your downline.
You can use Mike Dillard’s attraction marketing to develop any type of business by making full use of the Internet and other social media.
By: Ellie Gant