Business Building Basics
by Michael S. Clouse

The single-most important step you will ever take in building your Network Marketing enterprise is simply getting started.

If you want to build your organization once—and get paid on it for a lifetime—take the time to get plugged in, and then access the ongoing stream of information offered by your sponsor, your support team, and your company.

The System

In this industry everyone talks about the system and yet only the more successful support teams understand the awesome duplicatable power that a well-designed system offers to new distributors and established leaders alike. Indeed, the system will show everyone on your team a specific way to:

1. get new distributors started
2. explain when, where , and how to find prospects
3. teach distributors how to professionally present products and services to potential customers—as well as the business opportunity to prospects—and
4. be simple enough so that the cycle—or the system—will continue time after time, new distributor, after new distributor, as described above

Ask your support team about the system they are using, and how they recommend you get started, because odds are good that the system is already in place, and if you follow it you can achieve any level of success you desire.

Several components of the system deal with how you stay connected with your sponsor, support team, and company. They include:

Genealogy

Your support team can play a key role in your early success if you know who they are, how they can help you, and you make it known to them that you are serious about your success—part-time or full-time—and want to be part of the team. Every distributor should have a printed list that includes his or her support team by name, location, title, and contact information. Make sure you know where you are in the organization—and that all your new distributors know too.

E-mail

We live in the Internet age. I believe it is now safe to say that if you are not online—while you may not end up in the bread line as previously thought—you are out of the information loop. And again, because communication is the name of the game, if you are serious about Network Marketing, you need to be online.

Ask your support team how and where to get your e-mail address, then, go online, and learn how to send and receive e-mail.

Web Site

Today more and more companies are offering distributors their own Websites: www.yourcompany.com/yourname. If your company offers this service, get it as soon as possible. If your company does not offer this service, or you believe that you could "build a better mousetrap," talk with your support team first before doing anything. That "system" thing again!

Online Newsletter

Many leadership teams are now using e-mail to broadcast group-specific news to thousands of "wired" distributors at one time. Commonly called an e-mail blast, these time-sensitive messages should more than keep any serious Networker up to date with company news, product announcements, as well as event/training dates and details. Make sure you subscribe to—and regularly read—the e-mail that your sponsor, support team and company sends.

Voicemail

The telephone number on your business card may very well be your company approved 800 number. If your Networking business is a part-time venture and you don't want to print your home telephone on your business card... If you have small children and would like to ensure a more professional voice answers the telephone... If your support team uses a voicemail system to distribute important information... If any of these apply to you—get voicemail. Ask your sponsor what service, if any, is being used, order it, use it, and keep the integrity of the system alive.

Conference Calls

In addition to the written word—e-mail, e-zine, corporate magazine, or otherwise—many support teams offer weekly conference calls, training calls, or business opportunity calls to those on their respective teams. These calls can be a great way to stay connected—and build your empire—all from the comfort of your home-based business. Get the call-in number, along with the date and time of the call, from your sponsor or your support team, and then make sure you're listening.

Local Business Events

Network Marketing is a person-to-person, relationship-building business. Trying to build a successful business without ever meeting with, or talking to, anyone on your team does not work long-term. Therefore, if you want to build your organization once—and get paid on it for a lifetime—you must attend the local business events. Depending on your company—and where you live in the world—these events could be held in a coffee shop, private home, restaurant, hotel conference room, or any other place that is recommended by your support team. Local business events usually take place weekly, at a regularly scheduled time. Make sure that you know where these events are taking place, and then attend as often as you possibly can.

Regional Business Events

In addition to the local business briefings held in your area, your support team—or local leadership—will schedule larger events on a monthly, or quarterly basis. Distributors within a certain region of the country attend these business events to learn from some of the top leaders your support team, or company has to offer. Attending these events is an absolute must if you want to learn from the best-of-the-best!

National & International Business Events

Just like regional events, national and international business events are simply bigger, hopefully better, and should offer even more product knowledge, along with all the how-to-do-this-business training that can be jammed into a two- or three-day event. Because this is where distributors really learn about the business—and company—they have chosen to be associated with, attending these events as soon as possible is the single best decision any distributor can make when it comes to his or her long-term likelihood for success.

Business Cards

The sooner you have your own business cards, the sooner you will feel like you are in business. Find out from your support team what cards to order—and order them!

Because communication is the name of the game, every time you start someone new in your business, get them plugged in! E-mail, Website, Online Newsletter, Voicemail, Conference Calls, Local, Regional, National & International Business Events, along with your subscription to whatever your support team and company offers. Simply make sure everyone you're working with—including you—gets, and stays, plugged in!

All the best,

MSC

P.S. To grow your business faster, get this set into the hands of every serious business-builder on your team ! To more quickly grown your own Empire, follow this system.

© 2002 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.