The Hunted Marketer

Archive for MLM Mindset

Looking Inside MLM Success

July 26th, 2011 by Jim Boswell

Success in MLM is much like success in any other business. Sometimes it is surprising to see who is successful and who isn’t. Some people who are intelligent, articulate, and outgoing are mired in mediocrity and seem happy there. Other people don’t look all that good, or sound all that smart, but they are respected leaders in their MLM company. How does this happen? Why is it that some people succeed and others don’t?

We hear all the time from those who say they have been held back. Roadblocks have been put in their way. Teachers held them down, friends weren’t supportive, they had some bad breaks, etc. etc. It could all be true. At the same time, though, we see people who have overcome these roadblocks. What’s the difference? Talk to them and we learn that success seems to come from within, not from outside.

While listening to Zig Ziglar, he said something I thought was profound in its simplicity. I don’t have the exact quote, but this is the idea: He asked if you could do something today that would help your business. Then he asked if you could do something today that would hurt your business. Obviously the answer to both questions is yes. Then he said that by answering those questions with a yes, we had told him that every day we had the opportunity to do something that would help our business and every day we had the opportunity to do something that would hurt our business, and the choice was ours. No one else’s. At the time, I thought that was almost an epiphany. But the more I thought about it I realized that it wasn’t. It was 100% true, and it was powerfully stated, but it didn’t get to the heart of why some people succeed and some people don’t.

There has to be something that will motivate you to do the things every day that will help you achieve the MLM success you want. Doing nothing is neglect, and neglect hurts your business. There are success oriented books, DVD’s, and courses all over the place. How to set goals, how to prioritize, and how to manage time, are the kinds of tools we find with many of these resources. And all those things are very valuable. Many of us need to learn these techniques in order to achieve success. Our minds aren’t well enough organized to do it without them. But in the end, these are just tools. We make the intellectual decision to use them because we are honest enough to understand our weaknesses. That still doesn’t get to why or how we decide on success.

Intellectual commitments are pretty easy. Emotional commitments are much harder. An intellectual commitment changes what you think. An emotional commitment changes what you believe. It becomes a part of you. You have heard that successful people will do what unsuccessful people will not do. An emotional commitment allows that to happen.

There are external roadblocks that can get in the way of your MLM success, but they are much easier to overcome than the internal success roadblocks you put in the way yourself. You have heard of people who say they are afraid to fail. That is a good thing. The problem is that many more people are afraid to succeed. Success brings change. Success brings responsibility. Subconsciously, some of us don’t want that change or that responsibility. The life we already know is easier. Others of us have been programmed to believe we do not deserve success. We don’t believe we are good enough. In both cases, our subconscious has created a self-fulfilling prophesy. We are stopped by the internal success roadblocks because we know we won’t succeed, and our actions cause this to happen.

In the Network Marketing business, we ask people why they want to get into the business. If they have not defined their “why”, their purpose, their vision, call it what you will, you really don’t want them in your business. Now ask yourself the same question. Would you want you in your business? If you wouldn’t, don’t give up. You probably need some resources that focus on changing beliefs rather than learning about new tools. You may need to work on you before you can work on your business. Never forget that you are your own most important asset. Don’t ignore that asset.

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Categories : Creating MLM Value, MLM Mindset, MLM Success

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5 Ways To Tell If You Are Really An Entrepreneur

July 17th, 2011 by Jim Boswell

Network Marketing is a business for entrepreneurs. It is by no means the only option out there, but it is especially attractive right now. As Robert Kiyosaki tells us, it is one of the least costly of the options, and it is pretty easy to find help. In the current economic downturn, many who would have borrowed money to buy or start a traditional business aren’t able to find funding. Often they are turning to MLM. Whether it is a traditional business or an MLM business you must know if you have an entrepreneurial attitude. If you don’t, it can get ugly pretty fast.

So how do you find out? I have done some reading on the characteristics of entrepreneurs. One book that provides a wealth of information about this is called The Entrepreneurial Mindset by Rita Gunther McGrath and Ian MacMillan. It is essentially a 300 page college level text that teaches business owners how to go beyond traditional business methods. Those who don’t are likely to get left behind in this changing economy. The first chapter has a list of 5 characteristics of the entrepreneur’s mindset. While not written specifically for the Network Marketer, the 5 characteristics are right on the money for any entrepreneur.

1. Seek new opportunities. You have to be able to stay alert for new things. Not just a new business opportunity, but new ways to succeed in the business you’re already in. You’re not sitting at the same job always doing the same thing anymore. If you can’t adapt your strategy and tactics to new and different conditions, you’ll have problems.

2. Discipline. The 21^st century Network Marketer not only seeks new opportunities and methods, but he/she times them right. Entrepreneurs are hard wired to take action, but only when the conditions are favorable. They also constantly review their ideas and beliefs to make sure they are not stuck on something that doesn’t work.

3. Don’t be spread too thin. Understand not only what you can do, but what you can’t do. This applies in several areas. One example is the actual number of MLM opportunities you have going at once. I have known people with 3 or 4. Not a good idea for most of us. If you must have more than one, master the first one, get it going well, and then look for something complimentary. Another area is marketing. Don’t try everything at once. Master one technique and move to another. Still another is outsourcing. Time is your most important resource. Consider outsourcing repetitive tasks in order to free up time to do what you do best.

4. Avoid paralysis by analysis. If entrepreneurism is new to you, over analysis is a pitfall to watch out for. Successful people in this arena understand how to execute and adapt on the fly. In Network Marketing, waiting until everything is perfect before taking action is a recipe for failure.

5. Create and nurture networks. This may not be something a traditional business owner would think of, but it is a very important part of success. For those of us in Network Marketing, it is the name of our business. If we are unable to build networks, we are dead in the water. In Robert Kiyosaki’s book, The Business Of The 21^st Century, there is a chapter on networks. If you get into this business thinking only of recruiting, you are making a mistake. The key is what happens to those recruits once they become part of your network. Their success determines your success.

The nuts and bolts of The Entrepreneurial Mindset probably go beyond what most Network Marketers will need. This is because our business plans, product offerings, and compensation plans are already determined by our MLM company. This is not true of our marketing plan. We have choices. Once we understand our MLM company, marketing is what determines our level of success. Develop an independent, entrepreneurial attitude toward your marketing and increase your level of success.

Categories : Entrepreneurism, MLM Mindset, Robert Kiyosaki

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Getting An MLM Mindset

January 24th, 2011 by Jim Boswell

You should have an MLM mindset If you own your own MLM business. Remember you are an entrepreneur. Being a successful entrepreneur requires a certain mindset. It is different from the mindset of an employee. There are lots of kinds of entrepreneurs – MLM is one – and each mindset is very similar. Not exact, but similar. So how do you go about developing an MLM mindset?

What is An MLM Mindset?

Here is a basic example of this MLM mindset. To have success in MLM means you will have to change the way you think. If you have a job, you go in at a certain time, and you leave at a certain time. Nothing wrong with that. If you start an MLM business of your own, hours don’t mean anything. You do what has to be done. Especially when you are getting things set up. You can do this part time, certainly, but when you are setting up you will probably need to spend more time on it that you would like. Even though it isn’t a permanent situation, some people just can’t get their mind around this. It is a leap they just can’t make. That’s why when you hear that anyone can do MLM, it just isn’t true. Not everyone is ready to start developing an MLM mindset.

Here are a few other things that you will have to deal with as a home based business owner. The MLM mindset will help you with:

Working without supervision. If you can’t become self-motivated, you are dead in the water. You are the boss – you are the time scheduler. Can you prioritize a schedule? Can you stick to it?
The ability to focus. Especially if you are part time, focus is imperative. You have to complete tasks on time. Of course you have to do this at work, but developing an MLM mindset will require you to do this during times you are normally off work. Can you do this?
Your ego. “I think I’ll run this the way I want, not how I’m told”. Your MLM company has ways they want things done. An Attraction Marketing System shows you successful ways to do things. If you have an out of control ego, you will pay for advice and then ignore it. Don’t be that guy. If something is new or different to you, learn from those who have been successful at it.

Developing An MLM Mindset

Of course there are many more things that make up an MLM mindset. These were just a few examples. So how do you develop this MLM mindset? Will positive thinking help? This is a quote from Zig Ziglar: “Positive thinking by itself won’t let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” Positive thinking is not a process, it is a result. It is a result of personal development. Personal development is a process. I personally am not aware of anyone who has been successful in an MLM business who does not constantly strive to improve himself/herself. It is also important to know and understand the tools that are available to help you. A top rated Attraction Marketing System is the best tool you can have. It will help you create your own brand, among other things. Once you see that brand develop, the MLM mindset usually follows.

That is how you develop the “MLM mindset“. That is how you develop any entrepreneurial mindset. Personal development teaches you how to deal with failure. It also teaches you how to deal with success, which is just as important. It teaches you how to do what you have to do to achieve something more. It teaches you how to become a leader so that you can help others achieve. Is this easier for some people than others? Of course. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Set aside that ego we mentioned and start developing that MLM mindset. Start using the right tools. You’ll be amazed at what can happen.