I was on my regular Monday night Xango training call and one of our trainers was talking about helping new people get started in network marketing. Because doing network marketing in a professional way requires developing certain skill sets, Mike made the comparison of starting a network marketing home based business to beginning a workout program.

 

When someone first starts a workout program it really helps to have a personal trainer to get you on the right program so you get the best results and don’t hurt yourself. That is what your upline sponsor does for you in a network marketing home based business. Your trainer or sponsor is also someone you can be accountable to because if you are like most of us having support and encouragement when starting something new and challenging can make the difference between success and failure.

 

At first it may seem like a huge hassle to show up and do the required work but if you stick with it you find it gets easier and as you see the results your motivation increases dramatically. Success comes slowly over several months but eventually you need your trainer or sponsor less and less. With time you may even need fewer workouts because you are feeling good enough to keep yourself on a regular exercise program.

 

We all know what happens when we don’t ride regularly and then decide to go on a 20 mile trail ride. Well, similar painful results can happen when we try to do a network marketing home based business without doing our workouts first. Here is a typical scenario with or without doing those initial training workouts.

 

Jan is visiting with her friend, Mary, who mentions that her husband has taken a significant cut in pay at his corporate job. Jan fresh into her network marketing business launches into a diatribe.

 

” You should do what I am doing. I have this great company that sells this fantastic juice that cures everything. Everybody needs it and it is only $35 to get started up and you can make thousands of dollars every month. If you do this you will be able to pay all you bills and then your husband can quit his job. Here is a CD for you to listen to and call me if you want to learn more.”

 

Of course Jan means well but this kind of approach will send people running for the hills and is almost sure to leave Jan feeling rejected and wondering what she did wrong. A better approach would be something like this.

 

Jan ” Wow you husband is not going to make as much. Is that going to make it hard on your family?”

Mary ” I am not sure how we are going to make ends meet. I guess I will have to go to work but then we will have to pay for daycare and I will miss time with the kids.”

Jan ” Not a very good option. Have you ever thought about starting your own home based business.”

Mary ” I would not have any idea how to do that. I don’t really have any business skills and I hate to sell things.”

Jan ” Well I know some people who help people like you learn everything you need to do to start a business at home. Many of them, like you, started their own businesses so they could also stay home with their kids. We are also having some corporate people, like your husband, looking at part time home based business to insure they have an income if they get laid off or have pay cuts. Would you like to talk to one of my partners and ask them a few questions?

Mary ” Well, I guess so but what is it I would be doing?”

Jan ” Let me leave you a CD and set you up to listen to a live webinar that should answer the majority of you questions and them you can ask the rest of them when we talk with my partner. She has been a huge help to me in starting my business. She loves to teach and is very easy to talk to.”

Mary ” Well sure I can do that.”

 

You see the difference.

 

So what does this look like in a network marketing home based business. At first the workouts are things like getting on training call and webinars, going to websites and learning about your product and company, missing your favorite television show so you can learn more about  the network marketing industry. You get the picture. This is not the fun side of having a network marketing business but with time you start feeling comfortable to talk to people and invite them to look at what you offer. Again, your sponsor is right there to help you by doing all the presenting on a 3 way call.

 

You may even have some negative side effects as you stretch your network marketing muscles. This may come in the form of rejection from someone you care about or hearing something negative about your company or product. If you are on the right program and have a good team these sore muscles will pass and get stronger. Again, with time, you will need fewer training calls and will instead be spending that time with your new people and you will find others attracted to you wondering why you are looking so balanced and confidant.

 

Your regular exercise program of talking to people you meet and inviting them to look at what you offer and then helping them become successful replaces in a large part your initial workouts. You may even come to wish you had more time for training calls but find you are too busy helping your new people. This is the fun side of network marketing. For me this is like all the regular exercise I get around my farm, such as, riding, unloading feed and hay, cleaning up after the horses and goats, building and repairing fences, landscaping and gardening. All of this is regular exercise and I hardly have time for workouts but I love every minute of it just like I love encouraging and supporting my Xango team. Of course, if you don’t like the idea of helping other people then a network marketing home based business may not be right for you.

 

The running and workout programs I did for several years made me healthy and strong enough to handle all the regular exercise I do now. Do your workouts in the beginning then follow up with a regular exercise program if you want your network marketing home based business to get strong and bring you financial and time freedom. Madalyn