How to Duplicate yourself for Network Marketing Success?
Network marketing is one of the rare industries where the ability to duplicate yourself is absolutely critical to your success in the long term.
Duplication = Success
In the beginning, you might ask yourself why do you need to work on duplicating yourself. But, imagine all the plates you're spinning now and then imagine what it would be like if your team grew to 2,500 strong internationally… You simply can’t be there for everyone! It’s impossible. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Now before we go any further, what exactly do we mean by duplicate yourself? It means training your downline to copy and execute your proven methods for direct selling success.
That’s why you need to start now. You need to duplicate yourself so you can create other leaders who can then manage different teams within your business. They will become your brand ambassadors and ensure that your system and messaging is making its way down through the ranks, so that everyone sees success on their network marketing journey.
If you're looking to start building your team check out How to Start Building a Team?
Think carefully about who joins your team
You’re building your team and it might initially make sense to have the biggest team possible so you can expand… but you want to make sure that the people who join your team have the right mindset to follow in your footsteps. Positivity, go-getter attitude, willingness to learn and grow, eager to give their business a proper try and committed.
It’s all about attitude, mindset and that drive to achieve their goals.
Genuinely get to know your latest recruit
No one wants to feel like a number. Take the time to invest in your relationships with every member of your team. Have a conversation around their needs, challenges and fears. There is a great starting line "As a leader, I will care about you. When I think of you - what should I worry about?" This could be sick parents, fear of selling, frequent moving - you'd be surprised what people share when you ask this. They will feel more comfortable coming to you with questions and they’ll get an idea of how you run your business so they can copy. It will also mean you can start identifying what role your latest team member is likely to play in your company.
At the very least you’ll make a new friend!
Clear onboarding process
You'd be amazed how many people join direct selling with zero experience and zero understanding of how to sell. They might love the products, have a huge circle of friends, but when it comes to selling, so many people just freeze. When someone joins your team you want to set them up for success and give them the tools they need to build their business.
Ensure they have all of the company's materials and they know what to do. (Check out What is Network Marketing and How Does it Work? It's a great overview for anyone new to the industry!)
So many companies just focus on the product "booklet", overload new people with product line information, but miss the most important part... How a new person is supposed to turn into a successful seller overnight. You've seen that success, you've done it — so turn it into a playbook. The habits, the processes, the mindset, the tools you're using. All of that is part of "duplicating" you and while it might take a bit to put together— you only need to do it once and then you can keep reviewing and updating it every few months.
Do you use Penny? Get your new team members set up on Penny and book them into a training session so they are set up from day one.
Set Expectations
Set expectations, not just what you want from your team member but what they want from you. Are they very independent and prefer to come to you if they have problems? Or are they a collaborator and like to work with regular check-ins?
Also, understand what they want from their business. Is it to earn some money to cover the products they’re buying, enough to purchase groceries for the month, to rise through the ranks, to run their own team eventually? Understanding this from the beginning will really help you understand what type of mentorship they need and help you decide if they're going to be a leader in your team.
Check-in regularly
It’s scary starting out! Exciting, but also scary! Your latest network marketing recruit is going to need more support in the beginning to make sure they feel confident as they secure their first customers and get into the swing of running their own business.
Every time you check in make sure to mention:
- How are they doing? How is there family doing etc.?
- Are they happy with their goals and the progress they’re making?
- Is there any area where they need help?
Lead by example
It’s so important that you practice what you preach. If you want your team to respect you and want them to follow in your footsteps then you have to be their role model.
This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect though.
Be real. Be authentic. Be contactable.
Needs a bit more here as well. Talk about integrity, sharing their mistakes or failures. What types of things to leaders preach that they need to do themselves?
Create an environment you want to be in
When people feel like they’re part of something bigger, when they’re passionate about the goal they’re working towards they are more loyal and more likely to work harder.
Find a way to make sure everyone in your team feels like they are part of a community. Here are some ideas:
- Celebration board - create a system for team members to celebrate their wins and shout out when other teammates see success.
- Group activities - in person or virtual but make sure the activities appeal to a broad range of people or create several activities so there is something for everyone.
- Place to share ideas and tips - Whether this is a Facebook Page, WhatsApp group, a Pinterest board - make sure that everyone feels connected and has easy access to information.
- Mindfulness - Encourage your team to share how they’re looking after themselves as a person and not just their business. You started network marketing to create a better life for yourself… so share what that life looks like and what you’re working towards.
Combining all these elements together helps you to not only duplicate yourself from a sales perspective but it helps you start to identify who in your downline is going to make an excellent leader so you can help them build their own team.
Train your team so well that they could leave, but treat them so well that they don't want to.
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