I’ve had several people ask me for a “Network Marketing Tips For Beginners” guide, and for a variety of reasons I haven’t gotten around to writing it. But seeing that it’s the Fourth of July and I’m probably the only person in America on his computer at 7:30 a.m., I thought I’d better make the most of it.
Before I get started, I wanted to thank all of you for the nice comments and emails. I’m having a blast writing this blog week after week, and it’s nice to know that people are actually learning from it. That’s the whole reason I’m doing this to begin with, and it means so much to know so many of you are applying what I talk about here on NetworkMarketingDollars.com.
For the rest of you: what’s the hold up? Don’t be afraid of success. Far too often it’s the choices we don’t make that turn out to haunt us. I’m not saying to blindly jump feet first into the first MLM that comes your way, but I am saying that if you wait around for “the perfect time,” it’ll never happen. The perfect time is right now. Always has been. So go out and start your network marketing business now. If you need help deciding which opportunity to take, check out these questions to ask before joining an MLM.
But let me climb off of my soap box and get back to this nifty little Network Marketing Tips For Beginners guide. I do want to point out that this is by no means a comprehensive list. In future posts I’ll probably add to them, so don’t be surprised if I revisit this topic again (and again and again). Without further ado, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this post.
Network Marketing Tips For Beginners – A Prelude
Are you new to network marketing? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there before. In a way we’re still there. Why do I say that? Because we’re all still learning; from the guy who just signed up right now to the network marketing guru who has been raking in millions for years. So don’t get discouraged if you’re new, just keep plugging away and before long you’ll be writing your success blog to me!
Interestingly enough, this takes me to my first Network Marketing Tip:
Network Marketing Tip For Beginners #1: Work A Little Bit Every Day.
It’s really intimidating when you first start into this business, believe me I know. Even though I worked as a marketing consultant to some major network marketers before jumping in myself, I still remember the feeling that hit my stomach when I finally put the pen to the paper. It’s really overwhelming.
The solution is to take it one step at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just make a commitment to yourself to work a little each day at your home business, even if it’s only for 20 or 30 minutes. Those minutes add up fast, even though it may not seem like it at the time. If tasks seem too overwhelming, break them up into smaller pieces. If you’ve got a long list of cold calls, take them one day at a time. If you need to write a script for your presentation, break it down into outline form and fill it in one bullet point at a time.
Just make sure you’re doing something! Send some emails, fill out your taxes, balance your business checkbook… I don’t care – just do something! If you don’t believe how fast little things add up, do this: put five pennies in a jar every evening. It won’t seem like much at first, but it’ll add up fast. The advantage to doing this is that you’ll visualize just how much work you’re actually accomplishing as time goes by.
The next network marketing tip addresses the extreme polar opposite:
Network Marketing Tip For Beginners #2: Pace Yourself.
I can’t count how many new network marketers sign up for their first MLM, work their rear end off for several months, don’t see any substantial return on their efforts, then give it up. While I applaud their initial gusto, it’s way too much. They simply burn out before they even get started. While this business can build mega income streams, it’s unrealistic to expect your dream income right off the bat. Think of network marketing as a marathon, not a sprint. So if you bolt off the starting block at full speed, you’ll wear out before the race even begins.
Again, passion is a good thing, I’m not trying to stifle that. But I don’t want you to fall into the trap that 90% of new network marketers fall into, and that’s burning yourself out. It might sound strange coming from someone like me, but I’d encourage you to purposely work less than you think you’re capable of. If you think you can put a solid hour’s worth of work in every day, force yourself to stop after 45 minutes. If you’re chomping at the bit to put in 30 minutes per day, put in 20.
Why am I saying this? Because it’s been my experience that people who stop before they’re finished are so geared up to get back to work the next day that they can’t possibly burn out.
Network Marketing Tip For Beginners #3: Track All Of Your Expenses.
This might seem obvious to some of you, but it’s really easy to get so caught up in the excitement of starting your own business that you forget to jot down all of your expenses. Most people tell themselves, “I’ll get to this later.” But before long the receipts are long gone.
Why is it important to track your expenses? For two reasons:
- It gives you a better financial picture of your business. Are you making a profit? It’s impossible to tell without knowing your exact expenses.
- Those expenses might be tax deductible. I’m not an accountant so I’ll only suggest that you talk to a professional, but often times certain business expenses are deductible.
Tracking your expenses doesn’t have to be hard, but it is important to keep everything in a centralized location (including the actual receipts – that’s really important!). What I tell my clients to do is keep a shoe box near their desk and label it “business receipts” and store them all in there. I also recommend keeping a felt tip marker in the shoebox so you can label each receipt accordingly, for instance “stationary,” ” software,” “leads” etc…
I also tell them to keep a small spiral notepad with them at all times, and to write down every business expense on that notepad. It’s much easier to balance your business checkbook when you know what each expense went towards.
I think I’ve rambled on enough for one post, I’m sure I’ll add to this list as time goes on. In fact I know I will because my whole head is swimming with more tips. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this first installment of Top Networking Tips For Beginners.