A Leader Must Know
by Michael S. Clouse

I attended a Network Marketing training the other day. A nice group of people who were, for the most part, just getting started in the business. The instructor seemed to know his material, and was a good presenter. In fact, everything was going along quite smoothly, until the incident...

Let me ask you a question. If you could design, and then create, the perfect organization of distributors, what would it look like? How large? How skilled? How duplicatable?

Duplicatable? Oh! There's that word again! Why is this concept of repeating an agreed upon methodology so vitally important to the long-term success of your enterprise? Let me explain...

It has been said, and rightly so, the only commonality all religions of the world share is belief, all asking you to consider as true things you may, or may not, fully understand and at times can't necessarily prove. Right or wrong, that's the way theology has worked. And your Network Marketing business should function pretty much that way too... Everyone singing from the same hymnal. Now that's not a bad idea.

Here's the problem: From a leadership perspective, our industry doesn't tend to attract drones. On the contrary; this form of entrepreneurial experience entices the motivated maven movers and shakers of the J.O.B. Community. And then, as soon as we've enrolled our newest potential superstars, we allow them to tell us how they're going to build the business. Who knows, perhaps that explains why we have but one true God, and so many different downlines!

How about you? How are you doing with this duplication thing? Fair? Average? Great? And based upon your answer, if there were a simple way to predict your Networking future, would you be interested in peering into the vast unknown? Because we all have two ways to view the future—one with anticipation, the other, with apprehension, I'll share the information, and leave the rest to you...

Go get a copy of your organizational printout—you know, the one your company provided after you'd signed your life away, and paid a small fee. Next, select one, two, or three individuals from each different level shown on your report. After highlighting these distributors—making sure you randomly choose some new, some old, some successful, some not—pick up the telephone and give them a call. After all, if they're in your business, getting to know them would be the right thing to do.

Introduce yourself, ask if they have a few minutes to speak with you, and let them know the reason for your call: you're conducting a little survey, and were hoping they could help you out. Find out how long they've been with your company, why they decided to enroll, their favorite product or service, and so on, and so forth.

What you ask is really dependent on what you would like to discover. However, I would suggest that you prepare your list of about ten questions, to avoid the possibility of winging it... And then somewhere along the way, shift your inquiry to the business structure. In essence, where are they finding prospects? How are they introducing the business? What CDs, DVDs, or brochures do they use? Are they attending the weekly events, etc.

What you're looking for, of course, is "top to bottom, left to right, everyone being on the same page" commonality. Since we don't live in a perfect world, that probably will never be the case. However, you do need to discover if the overall system is in place. Even if the people and personalities are different, the principles and processes should be the same. Because in Network Marketing, duplication is what success looks like!

Back to my story—you remember, the incident... What this instructor went on to say in part was, "We are now going to conduct business a new way." That "new way" was not approved by corporate, and would, if implemented, eliminate upline, downline, and crossline, taking money out of other people's pockets, and potentially placing it directly into his... Not a good idea.

Luckily, this issue was quickly discovered, and immediately corrected. Which reminds me that over a lifetime, parents, and yes, even Network Marketing leaders, need to be asking, "Do I know what my children are doing?" Believe me, finding out is a better than great idea.

So, if you would like to improve your duplication, then get your printout, make the calls, and find out what everyone's up to... Armed with that information, seek out the counsel of someone in your upline you respect, and then make the necessary adjustments. Because a leader must know what the organization is doing.

All the best,

MSC

P.S. If you would like to improve the overall duplication in your business: listen to this CD, and use this educational approach BIG!

© 2007 by Michael S. Clouse. All Rights Reserved.

About the author: In addition to over 50 published articles on the subject of Network Marketing, Michael S. Clouse is the author of numerous books and CD programs on the subject of Network Marketing. An internationally recognized Network Marketing expert, Michael is a well respected business consultant, personal success coach, and a dynamic educational speaker. His weekly newsletter is read by tens of thousands of Network Marketing Professionals around the world.