Many networkers desire to build a successful MLM business. They see others who do it well and want to know how to build MLM just like the "big guys". In reality, the "big guys" are just normal people who learned how to be successful.

The truth is, there is a difference between leaders and those who desire to be leaders but fail to take certain actions. They are the "wannabe's". Let's take a close look at what real leaders do in MLM and why they achieve much success.

1. Daily actions. Those who are successful in MLM take consistent action daily. For some, it is something as simple as getting two exposures per day for their business. They do this in many ways such as giving away a free ebook, sharing their story with two people, adding a few friends to their friend's list on a site like Facebook, giving away a free report, etc. These are simple steps, but will have big results in the long term.

2. Weekly actions. Leaders in MLM take weekly actions. For some, this is accomplished by sending out one long distance package a week to someone they feel would benefit from hearing about the biz opportunity or product. The packet can contain a book, CD, pamphlet, product sample, etc. This lets people know the leader is in business without a big sales pitch. Once again, these are simple actions, but will have a huge payoff in the long term.

3. Monthly actions. Those leaders who have learned how to build MLM successfully attend monthly events. The events can be in their hometown or further away. MLM events can include special dinners, luncheons, chamber of commerce events, seminars, etc. These activities increase the leaders knowledge and prospect data base.

4. Personal Development. Leaders in MLM who are successful are always seeking ways to increase their personal growth. They do this by reading books, listening to CD's, participating in mastermind groups, etc. On-going personal development for them is a must and they do so for at least 15-30 minutes a day.

5. Stay with the ship. Leaders who understand how to build MLM successfully know massive success won't come in 30, 60, or 90 days. They know they must give whatever system they are using time to work and build momentum. They know they must give the system at least a year and they are committed to this. There is no jumping ship for each hot new deal that may come along.

6. Have a "Slight Edge" philosophy. Those who are leaders in MLM have the "slight edge" mindset and philosophy. They know that necessary actions are easy to do or not to do. They choose to take responsibility for both success and failures in their business. Leaders know daily actions may not seem to make a big difference initially, but are committed to following through with them. Successful leaders realize that initially 80% of their time might be required to make their business work, but eventually this will change to 20% of effort which will result in great rewards.

7. Live outside the comfort zone. Lastly, those leaders who know how to build MLM successfully do what others are not willing to do. They are OK with living outside their comfort zone for awhile in order to be comfortable later on. They know that if they are consistent, a big turn around usually comes in 3-5 years.

So, as one can see, true leaders in MLM operate by different methods and mindset than those who are just wannabe's. To become a true leader and build a successful MLM business, adopt the actions and mindset discussed and get on the road to success.

Every year thousands of men and women across America sign on with direct selling firm-Tupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise to

a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of success in sales. "I am simply not a born salesperson," they often say.

No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through education and experience.

If you are looking for a career opportunity or "extra income" to help with the family budget, direct selling offers you dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. "How long does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?"

WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING?

Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of the National Association of Direct Selling Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.

Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives with a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many instances the investment is under $100.

There is an old adage which says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes, bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a new home.

The rewards of direct selling are many

1. You can be your own boss.

2. You can set your own hours.

3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.

4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.

5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.

It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M.

If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a most unusual earning opportunity.

THE TEN STEPS

Here are ten steps that will assure your success:

1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to save for college education for your children? A new car? A new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it. Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without definite goals.

2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It is amazing how much gets done when one works with a

"things-to-do" list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments, potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.

3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel" that salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people who are achieving.

4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK." In direct sales we don't have to wait for business to come to us. We create our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive.

5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales, as perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no's to one yes? Is your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes's are your income. Also remember that "no" does not necessarily mean "no." Often a "no" is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for more information about your product or your service. What your client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is best for her. She will most likely respect you and do business with you.

6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time. Plan your work then work your plan.

7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. All of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and took no orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!" Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business would be paralyzed.

Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions. Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the average.

8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important to the success of any business.

9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding considerable dollar value to your income.

10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week. Direct sales "reps" handle money constantly. Direct sales is instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely necessary to become an efficient money manager.

Deposit every penny collected from clients into a checking account set up especially for its business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate. Everything except a few "petty cash" transactions can be directly taken from bank statements.

Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement off the interest earned on savings.

Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself these questions:

* Am I honest?

* Do I really like people?

* Am I willing to learn?

* Am I willing to work?

* Am I capable of being my own boss?

If your answers are yes, to find a good product for the direct sales market, one that you like, one that fills the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You can turn dreams into reality.

If you are thinking like this, stop! All of us have been recommending and promoting for years and years. If we choose to stop, we will just stop our paycheck.

The problem is that many of us have been convinced that mlm is a sales business. Because of this mentality, we stop recommending and promoting.

One of the secrets to mlm success is realizing this is a mentoring and coaching business; a relationship business. Anybody can do this if they truly want to. We just teach how to pick up the paycheck.

Tip #2: Learn to generate your own leads. Many people in mlm buy leads. This is not the best way to build your business. You see, many leads lists are sold to a number of different companies, so your "hot" prospect might already have had numerous other calls from folks trying to get them in "on the deal".

When it come to how to recruit in mlm, another important point is that this isn't a duplicatable system. Believe it or not, some people out there are paying $100 per lead and spend $1500 a month on leads. Plus, they spend around $2,000 on their company's product. Now, think for a minute. How duplicatable is this for most people? $100 a lead and $2,000 a month on products? Can you see when it comes how to recruit people in MLM and how to build MLM, this is a bad strategy?

The bottom line is first, you do not need to buy leads especially when it is much easier to generate your own. Second, it is crucial you have a duplicatable system so it is not difficult for you and your downline to recruit people for your mlm business.

Tip #3: Take a careful look at how big the company's building is. This sounds weird, but it is something that should be carefully considered.

Have you ever taken the time to think about how much upkeep a huge building requires? Not only this, but also how much staff it takes to keep the operation going?

You see, when a company has a huge building with a lot of staff, the company has to pay for the lights, keep the lawn mowed, pay for electricity, maintenance people, etc., that can add up very quickly!Plus, with all that staff comes salaries, bonuses, vacation time, health benefits, short-term disability, and the like. The bottom line, it all adds up, for some, to millions a month in overhead.

You may ask who is paying for all of this? In many cases the money has to be taken from the compensation plan. Also, products prices can be high to help cover costs. Whatever the case, this is a bad scenario.

You want to always make sure you bring your people into a strong company where they will be paid well for their efforts and where products are sold to consumers at the best price. This will help them build a successful business.

So, when it comes to how to recruit people for mlm and how to build mlm, if you keep these important points in mind, you will be well on your road to success!

Thousands of people use network marketing to build a home business. Unfortunately, it is well known that the failure rate in this business is over 90%.

There are many reasons for this, but the key one is that many network marketing companies do not have business models that support you as a distributor. As a result, the cards are stacked against you from the start.

Here are some compelling reasons why failing in network marketing is NOT your fault.

You know the story: you have done the training, did three-ways calls with prospects, purchased leads, attended the "rah rah" company events, etc. We could go on and on. The bottom line is that you STILL failed! You wonder, "What in the world is wrong with me? Why can't I make it?"

The bottom line is you are failing because your network marketing company is not taking good care of you. It does not have a strong foundational model of integrity. None of this your fault!

Here is another point to consider. Have you ever noticed that some companies have huge multi-million home offices? You see this on many of the companies' websites.

Have you ever thought about where the money comes from? In network marketing, money comes from the compensation plan. Companies don't have multiple streams of income; they just have the compensation plan. Unfortunately, in spite of multi-million dollar home offices, the money does not come back to you in the compensation plan.

If this sounds bad, things go down hill even further. If a network marketing company has a huge home office, doesn't it make sense that some sort of maintenance would be required? You know, things like a cleaning staff, upkeep for the grounds, electric bills, water bills, etc. How about workmen's compensation, 401(k) s, vacation, sick, and family leaves? What about those bonuses and cost of living salaries? A company has to have this in place for its employees. Now, where is the money to fund all of this coming from? The compensation plan!

The sad truth is that you and other distributors will never use your network marketing company's multi-million dollar building, BUT you still have to pay for it and the upkeep. That's hardly fair at all.

Let's give this further thought. With a company model such as we are discussing here, where do you think their model will go in the future? Will they have more or fewer expenses? If you yelled to yourself, "More Expenses!” you got it.

Here's another thought. Have you ever wondered where your network marketing company's warehouse is located? I'd dare say that most people haven't even thought about this. Usually, most cities have places called warehouse districts with low costs and low rents. So, it makes good business sense to house company stock in these districts, right?

In reality, many times this does not happen. A number of companies have their warehouses right next to their home offices. Other than looking pretty impressive, it really is a total waste of money. Now, some companies have their businesses in warehouse districts, but many do not.

Are you beginning to see why you are failing in MLM, and how your network marketing company's business model is the problem here? With huge overhead costs, which are funded by the compensation plan, there is little to pass on to you and other distributors. Now, there are some great network marketing companies out there that have very strong business models that support the distributor, but you have to really search them out.

So, here are some compelling reasons why you are not having success with your network marketing home business. In the next part of this article, we will discover how a company's business model directly impacts your ability to build a business.

As a network marketing distributor, it is always important to keep abreast of the current best practices to ensure on-going business and growth. Here are the 6 best practices that many top mlm leaders are using to successfully build their businesses.

*Always have a advertising budget whether you are marketing online, offline, or doing a combination of both. Advertising is essential to your business life and growth. Stick to your budget for a year so that you will have on-going momentum. At the end of the year, evaluate how you have done and make adjustments as needed.

*Keep in contact with your team. You can touch base with them on a regular basis by phone or by email. This is an important best practice strategy to implement, especially for those on your team who are serious team builders. Your team members joined, hopefully, because they know, like, and trust you. This doesn't stop after they join you, so keep in close contact. Once your team grows, you likely will not be able to talk and work with everyone 1:1. However, you can still work closely with your top leaders and teach them how to work with their people. This ensures strong support throughout the team.

*Be consistent with lead generation. As a network marketing distributor, having a constant influx of interested prospects in your pipeline is necessary. It is also important to make sure that the system you use to attract prospects is duplicatable. In other words, it should be so simple that a veteran or someone just starting out can use successfully.

*Build leaders and make them successful. You want to hear from your business builders, "I'll do whatever it takes", and not "Well, I'll just try and give it a shot." The second response usually means if things don't work out for the person, they very well may quit. Leaders also make sure their distributors order products. They never complain to their upline or downline, and have their own aspirations, goals, and drams. True leaders also will run a meeting if you are away. You want to build leaders with strengths such as these on your team.

*Have a written plan. As a professional network marketing distributor, always write out your plan and how you desire to achieve your goals. Do this on a weekly basis, work it, and then review it at the end of the week. If you are not satisfied with how things turned out, make adjustments for the following week.

*Discover the marketing practice that works best for you and become really good at it. This may be article writing, blogging, creating on-line videos, e-zine advertising, etc. If you are not sure what you want to do, implement what is working for others until you find what works best for you.

Becoming a successful network marketing distributor and leader does involve following the best practices others are using with great success. Study them, implement them consistently, and watch your business experience on-going growth.