You are delusional if you believe that a network marketing sponsor has one responsibility: to sign people up!
Perhaps you have heard this and believed this, and as a result you unknowingly practice mudslinging instead of recruiting and training. Mudslinging means you recruit as many distributors as you can into your opportunity, and then wait to see who sticks to the wall and who slides off. This poor practice makes your relationship with the new distributor short-lived and your role as a sponsor ineffective. As a result, much effort is wasted recruiting distributors that will never turn into a stable organization.
After having discovered the value of a mentor in this business, and also cultivating my own team of successful distributors, I do not believe this is the correct way to view the role of a sponsor in network marketing. To begin with, let’s review the definition of sponsor: One who assumes responsibility for another person or a group during a period of instruction, apprenticeship, or probation.
If you were to take this to heart, then as a sponsor you would assume responsibility for your new distributor’s business as they ramp up their business and as you teach them your system. This makes the idea of recruiting as many people as you can into your business (and letting them fend for themselves, and assume that at least one or two will be successful) obsolete. Sponsors with this attitude are treating this business like it is playing the lottery: they are simply buying a ticket every week and hoping that one day they will get lucky.
In any business there are examples of sponsors who have signed up just a few people, but because one of those people exploded their business, the sponsor was able to make lots of money. However, these success stories are far outweighed by the many masses of people that sponsor just a few distributors, and NOTHING happens. Network marketing cannot be treated like playing the lottery. If you want to create a career-level income with your business, you first must become the hard-working distributor that you would desire to recruit into your organization.
You have probably heard of the Law of Attraction. Simply put, the Law of Attraction means that like attracts like. In network marketing, the Law of Attraction is no more apparent than within your own organization. You will attract people just like you. If you are a poor worker, have no discipline, or rarely show up to your business, neither will your team. If you do not stick to your plan, neither will your team. If you do not sign up new customers and distributors, neither will your team. If you are not willing to do the work to build a business, neither will your organization. However, if you adopt the behaviors of a hard-working, successful business owner, you will recruit people with the same work ethic.
If you want to be successful, you must first adopt the behaviors of a successful person. And because of the Law of Attraction, your team will do the same. The outside world has a silly saying about “work” being a four letter word. This is not the case in MLM.
When we “work” we are laying the foundation of a business. When we “work” we are constructing a financial wall around ourselves. When we “work” we are helping people and providing value to the marketplace. And when we “work” with other motivated entrepreneurs that march to the beat of a different drummer, the toiling and slaving away that is evident in a corporate workplace disappears, and going to “work” is no longer drudgery and pain. Network marketing is the most FUN you will ever have. And there is nothing better than the feeling of going to work on your goals and dreams everyday.
Did you have a revelation about your role as a sponsor? Did you every operate your MLM with the lottery mentality? Please comment below… we’d love to hear!
18. May 2010 at 1:45 pm
So true that we must become the distributor we wish to recruit – not by playing the lottery and hoping for a great distributor.
– Awesome Post, can’t wait for more great info.