Star Builder

Background

A number of friends have first said that they simply don't have the time to start a network marketing business, they simply cannot see how it is possible to develop something with just 5-7 hours per week.

There are others I know who spend more than this on a network marketing business, but are not getting anywhere. The reality is they are spending their time on non-productive activities. This article covers what appropriate activity is, and how to make best use of your time.

Not All Hours Are Created The Same

The same 60 minutes could be spent in so many ways, at one extreme you could be watching television and achieving nothing and at the other you could be having a home business review with a number of people that you have already spoken to in the appropriate way about the opportunity. So this is an obvious contrast, though lets look at a less obvious one, reviewing training materials again or picking up the phone to your potential candidate list.

On the face of it, you are doing something to develop your business by developing your knowledge. The danger is that you spend all your time undertaking unproductive activity, once you have got a handle on the basics of the product and the business model it is time for you to start developing your business.

Productive tasks in reality can be distilled down to:

• Producing and maintaining a candidate list
• Approaching people on your candidate list or others that you meet
• Following up people you have approached
• Inviting people to a home business review
• Running a home business review
• Training and mentoring those who join the business
• Catching up with your sponsor to review progress
• Tracking your activity and progress

Spending week after week going to a business opportunity presentation without bringing a prospective candidate along with you is not and never will be an appropriate use of your time. Attending seminars is good for your knowledge, but don't become a knowledge junkie, this will not help you to develop your business.

The more people that you speak to (whilst adhering to the system), the more people that you correctly introduce to the business, the more people you invite to a home business review, the more your business will grow. It is really as simple as that, there are those that do not make it in this industry, but they simply have not put enough of the right effort into it.

Appropriate Activity Levels - The Rule of Threes

Randy Schroeder has a simple guideline for people that want to make it in the network marketing industry, he calls it the rule of threes. Whether you agree with the numbers or not, they are clearly achievable to the likes of you and I, and certainly can fit into the 5-7 hours per week that we talk about.

Speak To 3 People Every Day

If you speak to 3 new potential candidates every day, whilst following the system, and leaving them with the appropriate marketing material. Where you have their contact details you follow up with them at a pre-agreed time in order to gather their thoughts on the opportunity.

If you manage this, in an average month you will have spoken to 90 new prospects each and every month.

Follow Up 3 People Every Week

Having already spoken to 3 people every day, some of which will require some more information. Again follow the system and provide them with something that is appropriate to their needs from the materials that are available to them.

If you do this you will likely have 12 very interested prospects each and every month.

Carry Out 3 Home Business Reviews Monthly

Carry out just 3 home business reviews each month, with 5 prospects coming to each, and of those just 2 decide to join the business you will have 8 people join each month. Though you will find that as you improve the earlier stages and gather more confidence more people will decide to join the business.

If you do this you will likely have between 8 and 12 people join your business every month.

Okay, so how much time did the above activity really take over the course of the month? Let's do the maths:

90 * 5 minutes = 450 minutes

12 * 10 minutes = 120 minutes

3 * 150 minutes = 450 minutes

The above totals 17 hours per month, or just over 4 hours per week. Giving you enough time to spend doing the other things I highlighted earlier.

Tracking Progress

If you have ever been on a diet before and not kept track on what you are shovelling in your mouth you may have failed to notice the cream cake you ate at tea time in your calorie count for the day. This is why systems such as Weight Watchers were born, they simplified the process of sticking to a plan and helping you to monitor it with a few simple rules. Those that do things such as Weight Watchers without keeping a record are in general far less successful than those that do.

In short what gets measured gets done, by recording your activity daily in some form you will likely achieve far more, and if you are not doing so well you will probably be able to pinpoint where you are going wrong. On the other hand if you do not keep track of your activity you may think you are putting in lots of effort in every week, but you may be kidding yourself if it does not meet the outline of appropriate activity above.

So keep track of everything you do, make it a discipline, and you will find your business grow much faster than you thought was ever possible.

Star Builder members, you can record your progress in out specially designed activity sheets, and follow the process as outlined in the guide to sponsoring process flowchart.