Network Marketing 101 - Pick Your Partners

My friend Dave Stone of NetWork Marketing Today has a series of essays "in progress" called Network Marketing 101 Feel free to visit his blog when you are finished here! You will find practical, ethical advice from an industry peer!
NetWork Marketing Today

Here is Dave's latest installment.

I can remember being new to Network Marketing. I can remember being excited about my program and products. I believed that EVERYONE would want to sign up into my business. I recall the anxiety associated with the first phone call made to invite one of my friends to a presentation using the dreaded "curiosity approach". I recall my first dose of the harsh reality of network marketing after facing several "no's" or "is this a pyramid?" or "is this MLM?" or the worst one, "is this Amway?". I was thrown to the wolves and I was handed my hat.

Many new marketers that step into the arena may find themselves with these all too common experiences. At first, it is all about survival and endurance. Some don't live through their first rejection before they move on and quit. Some are a bit tougher and may face multiple rejections but eventually succumb.

I experienced many negatives and became frustrated that my business wasn't growing as quickly as I wanted. I sought out coaching from my uplines and any training I could that might make the journey a bit more enjoyable and rewarding.

I continued to plug along, had some meager success but found I was still far from my selected goals. Looking back on this time (hindsight) I now understand that I had fallen into the trap of letting my potential partners choose me. I believe this was evident in two ways.

First, I had taken the rejection personally and this began to wear away at my self-confidence. This revealed itself through the lack of conviction in the words I used and the tone of my voice. I was seeking people that would be committed but yet my manner did not display the exact kind of commitment that I was trying to attract. I received exactly what I was broadcasting.

Second, stemming from my confidence issues, I would prospect and present my program in what I can best categorize as "white noise". I have heard it said that inside a dog's brain is a constant stream of low-level static. That was me. Nervous chatter and way too much "telling and selling". If you need to convince people to join your enterprise, they may enter but not of their own commitment. These same people will need a higher degree of assurance and continued convincing through every activity or adversity. This, in most cases, will generate high degrees of negativity for YOU. You will find yourself spending otherwise precious, productive hours coaxing and consoling and coercing and convincing and counseling because your team signed up on YOUR reasons.

You should assess the strength of your business by the strength of those that are joining you. They may not match your level of commitment or dedication. They may not match your intensity and drive. They may not match many other attributes but, I believe, the one element that you should seek most of all is desire.

You may yourself have limited skills but if you possess an UNLIMITED DESIRE, you can and will accomplish anything you set your sights on. This is what you should also be looking for in your prospective business partners.
-Dave Stone, NetWork Marketing Today blog