It has been said that most people who enter into network marketing fail. It’s probably true, sadly. If you’ve ever sat through a presentation for a MLM opportunity, you know how easy it can be to get sucked in and believe the hype. Everyone is so energetic and enthusiastic. Success story after success story is relayed and visions of dollar signs begin to dance in your head. Why, of course you can be a top seller in six months! You’ll win the company distinction of being the first person ever to win a company vacation in less than a month! Your fist year in network marketing will break all the records, Right? Wrong!

Unfortunately, after a distributor signs on the dotted line they are often left to their own devices. They follow their uplines message and they try to sell their neighborhood on their products and show the opportunity to as many people as they possibly can in the first month and they find they get rejected, a lot of time and sometimes painfully. Face it, even when someone does decide to join your team they can turn tables pretty quickly and walk the other way; people quit!

Here’s the thing…

While it’s true that most people fail within their first year in network marketing, the reality is that failure within the first month or two, or three is what most people face. As people start learning about the cold world of rejection, they lose their enthusiasm for the business and they quit. So, who’s fault is this (if fault is the right word to use)?

Should the new person have been made aware of rejection and given some kind of “toughening up induction”?

Should the sponsor be made to sign off that they have gone through the FACTS with the new enrollee and made it clear that although they may see success in the first few days, weeks or even months, this business model is about long term financial freedom and this is achieved by having a long term business focus and marketing plan in place?

I don’t have the answer. Leave me your thoughts below and your experiences, good or bad!

But I do know and I can say hand on heart, my approach has always been to explain and outline what new people should expect from this business. Network marketing is hard work. It takes time, discipline and focus. But it works.

So, if you’re prepared to put in the work over time, learn and apply real, solid business skills and treat your business in a professional manner then I have news for you…

You could make a lot of money in network marketing

But anyone who has succeeded in network marketing will tell you that your first year might actually be your hardest. If you come into the business knowing nothing about sales, it will take you a while to get your bearings. Handling rejection is the biggest hurdle that people have. For someone who has never sold so much as box of Girl Scout Cookies, it can be personally damaging when someone looks at you after a presentation and says, “This isn’t for me.” You may have to stumble through 50 answers of “no” to get to one “yes.” Sometimes more. This type of constant rejection can be trying on someone who is new to the business and it can be very tempting to throw in the towel. But when someone says “NO” they are NOT saying no to you, they are saying NO to themselves actually. When people reject an opportunity for change and personal or lfie improvement, it is because they are not ready or prepared to do what they are doing to move forward in life. Don’t take it personally and know that you and your business is better off without them. Put them down to experience and move on.

Other people fail because they don’t put in the time or don’t stay focused. Your first year of network marketing will require long hours of work. Building any business from nothing takes hours and hours of labor, and MLM is no different. You’ll have to study up on products, sit in on training calls, attend classes and get to know all you can about your new company and develop the skills you will need to become a successful business owner.  If you are starting your business full time, this means 8 hour days are a minimum. If you are starting part time, this means coming home from  your day job and putting in several hours a night, and usually one day or all weekend. You don’t have to, but if you don’t work, you can’t reap the financial rewards.

Realise that your first year in network marketing is about building the foundations of your business. It’s about learning how to sponsor new team members and enroll customers into your business. It’s about learning how to talk about your business and finding ways of generating leads and growing your contact list so that youhave a never ending supply of interested and qualified prospects to talk to about your MLM opportunity. It’s about developing marketing and sales skills and building your knowledge and understanding of the network marketing industry, so that you can learn from other leaders and develop leadership skills yourself. It’s work!

If you make it through your first year of network marketing without giving up, your odds of success are high. Be willing to put in the work and sacrifice some of your personal time now and in a few years, you could be the one boasting on a conference call that you just came back from an all-expense paid vacation thanks to your company.

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Tagged as: first year in network marketing, networkMarketing, Your First Year in Network Marketing

Article by Neil Ashworth

Neil Ashworth is an ex-Pro Soccer player turned innovative online marketer. His no-nonsense approach and unique ability to simplify complex marketing strategies enables him to show others how to make sense of the internet and maximize its full potential to turn time into profit.

Neil has written 55 awesome articles for us at Neil Ashworth's Simple Steps To Network Marketing Success…