Network Marketing - Things I Wish My Sponsor Had Told Me... BEFORE I Spent the Money!

Most of us who have been doing Network Marketing for very long have had some similar experiences, most  were not positive. Unfortuneately, some will quit with the idea that the business model doesn't work. But it is kind of like if you went to play baseball, and gave you a bat and said to step up to the plate and hit the ball... with no instruction or practice or ever having seen anyone do it, you have very little chance of hitting the home run!  To hit a home run in Network Marketing, it doe's take some skill and some training, but unlike baseball, anyone can step up to the plate with the right training and hit that home run consistantly.

You do need some basics. As in baseball, you need the correct bat. That is a stick off a tree, will not allow you to hit the ball well enough to get it out of the park! You need a regulation bat, and the pitcher needs to use the correct baseball, if they are throwing you a basketball instead... how far do you think it will go!

So when we look at a company the first thing I now know I have to see is not the flashy fun website or

signup page, or the rah rah meeting where they show you all the people that are making 6 figure incomes in just a few months, but my contract. If I am going to interview for a job, I want to know what I have to do and what I can't do if I decide to work for them to make my money. I don't want to know if I am 'good' and come in everyday, I may be able to make $1000 dollars a day, I want to know my base rate and  what the commissions are and what I have to do to earn them. I want to hit that home run but I want to know it is possible and just what the pitfalls are, if any. I WANT TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION, NOT A EMOTIONAL ONE!

So the next time you are looking at a company, look at the POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, AND THE PAYPLAN.  There should be a pdf, word document or a webpage that spells it out in black and white without the videos and hype. If the contact can't provide it, it should be a red flag! Chances are the contact is  a honest person, but uninformed and they just don't know. Make them find out, you may make a friend that you can help get into the company that you do find that provides the correct bats and uses the regulation baseball, and provides a path that is not filled with pot holes so you can run all those bases when you hit your home run, and you will both win the game!

If you need some help evaluating the companies you are interested in, you can contact Mentoring for Free,

They will help you at no cost to you. All training is generic and no companies or products are mentioned in any of thier training calls. If you are new to the game, or if you just never have looked these documents, you may want to get another paid of eyes to make sure you understand, they should NOT be 30 pages of lawyer talk, it should be in plain english. Don't agree to somethng you don't understand. Give it the same attention you would if you were interviewing a company that wants you. You are worth the extra effort to make sure you have a company that is there for it's distributors, not the other way around!

Network Marketing - Keep it positive!

When you post comments on your face book page or you blog, one cardinal rule is to not use personal information or situations, UNLESS it is a positive experience. It does your image no good to complain about the last time your business obligations made you miss something you wanted to do or got in the way of a family happening. We all make sacrifices for our business but making the point with the negative is not a good choice. If you want to convey the idea that we do have to make time and sometimes sacrifice something now for the advantages and rewards of a successful business, you need to keep it on the positive side.


Judy Narum, from Diamond Dream Builders has this to say about posting personal information... "Never EVER post on your network marketing blog or face book forum about personal issues unless they relate to your business in a positive manner. For example, posting that you were able to attend your daughters baseball game today because of the flexibility of your job is fine. Posting that your wife/husband is leaving you because you're a penniless hack is NOT. Watch what you say on line, it's there forever."


For example, your son or daughter had a baseball game or played in a concert and you missed it because you had a meeting that took you away at that time... instead of saying how disappointed your kids were that you missed something because you are taking your business seriously, you could say how proud you are of the kids for supporting you in your new business, and how they are learning valuable lessons as you gain both monetary and personal growth while building your business. You want to show a positive attitude and really share the best of what you are learning as you grow your business.

We all have our doubts and there is a place to discuss them but not when you are talking to potential customers or partners. Hopefully you have a mastermind group that you can discuss any problems you are having and get advice from those that have been there. If you are looking for a forum, check out Mentoring for Free. They have free training calls and a great forum on Saturdays nites where you can get questions answered without being pitched. 

It is good for people to know some personal information about you, it helps them to identify with you.  Network marketing is a relationship business, and while you don't have to paint an unrealistic picture, you do want to show how you are growing and changing, and profiting personally as well as financially from your involvement in this great business model.