You've done your research. You've chosen your MLM company and you've carefully decided on just the right person as your Network Marketing Sponsor. You plunked down your hard earned money to join the company and you're off to the races. It's up to your sponsor now to help you get leads and sales, right? Not so fast.
What A Great Network Marketing Sponsor Can Do For You
Having a great sponsor can be a game changer in building your Network Marketing home business. While it is reasonable to assume that your sponsor will get you situated, connected with his or her team, and generally be sure you get off on the right foot. They should definitely spend some time with you going through your business plan and marketing strategy.
But how far does your sponsor's responsibilities go?
The False Sense of Entitlement
This is one of the biggest problems I see in new (and naive) MLM business owners. In fact, it's a false belief that is pervading our society as a whole — the feeling of ENTITLEMENT.
In Network Marketing, it starts with the newbie's belief that just because they paid their money to join someone's MLM team, they are now ENTITLED to their Sponsor's time and attention. If you share this belief, let me be the first to break it to you….
It doesn't work that way. You are not “entitled” to anything from your sponsor.
Here's the truth — your sponsor is building his/her own business and is not responsible for yours. Sure, your Network Marketing sponsor can and should be a reliable and helpful resource but they are NOT responsible for the success or failure of your business. That responsibility lies on you and you alone.
Here's another truth — a great Network Marketer most likely has a large team of other Networkers. Your sponsor will likely do some general team trainings, but their time to spend with individuals is most likely limited.
They will protect their TIME like a mother bear protects her cubs.
But that's not to say that you can't garner more of your Network Marketing Sponsor's time and attention. In fact, you'll find that they do have their “favorites” — the people they single out on their training calls as having personally mentored to great success.
So how do you get to be one of these lucky people?
3 Ways to Get More of Your Sponsor's Time and Attention
There are definitely ways to get your sponsor to pay more attention to you. Here is what I look for in a student/team member that will get MY ATTENTION:
1. Be a PERSON OF INTEGRITY
No one wants to spend a lot of time with a new member only to have them later make a million excuses as to why they couldn't accomplish anything. Believe me, as a Network Marketing sponsor there's very little that is more frustrating.
So here is one of my favorite strategies.
Whenever I get a new team member, I test them immediately. After I orient them to the team and work through their Business and Marketing Plan, I give them some action steps to take. I provide them with specific things they need to do before we meet again.
I even put the responsibility on them to call me when they're finished to set up the next meeting.
I will be very honest with you here — there have been instances where I give my team member a set of action steps and never hear from them again. These are the ones that invariably complain that they received no support from their sponsor as they exit the company, in search of a “better opportunity”.
There is no better way to show your integrity than DOING WHAT YOU SAY YOU'LL DO
It's the first step towards gaining your sponsor's respect and attention.
2. Be Self Sufficient
One of the biggest things to learn as a home business owner is the skill of overcoming obstacles. You are going to encounter endless obstacles are you start out and continue to grow your business, and you need to show your sponsor (and yourself) that you can overcome them and move forward.
Don't be the person who runs to their sponsor with every little problem. Not only will you become a burden on your sponsor's time, but you'll never learn to stand on your own two feet.
Before approaching your sponsor with a problem or issue, do your best to solve it yourself.
Put yourself in your sponsor's place.
Who would your rather have on your team — the person who calls them and asks, “I'm not getting any leads for my business…help!”
Or the one who says, “I have this problem. I've tried to find the answer on Google and in our company Forum but I still need some guidance. This is how I was thinking of approaching this problem. What do you think?”
I can tell you exactly who I would rather have on my team.
Be self-sufficient. Learn “how to fish”, rather than expecting your sponsor to serve you dinner each night.
3. Be an Action Taker
You can be the best student in the work, but unless you implement what you've learned you will so no real results. And in Network Marketing, results means leads, sales, and new team members.
If you truly want to get your Sponsor's time and attention, become a student first by learning new skills and then TAKE ACTION, apply what you've learned and get some results. As a sponsor, I am eager to spend time with someone who has taken action, regardless of the results.
The sad fact is that many new Networkers don't take enough action to see any real results. The ones who do definitely get my attention and my time.
Be a person of Integrity, Self Sufficient, and an Action Taker and you will definitely get noticed by your sponsor and they will be much more eager to spend their valuable time with you to improve your results and your business.
To Your Success!
29 replies to "3 Ways To Get More Attention From Your Network Marketing Sponsor"
Hello Bob
I enjoyed your great blog post on 3 Ways To Get More Attention From Your Network Marketing Sponsor. First rate blog I would love to see more posts on this.
Stay tuned, Dominique. There’s lots more to come!
Bob,
That sense of entitlement is such a bear. So very pervasive throughout society today. You can lead them to the water…
People need to take action on their own. Plain and simple. You can’t nudge them every step of the way but it’s such a blessing to work with people who are already self-propelled. Those folks make it a joy to pick them up on the few occasions they stumble or fall.
Great topic…great points, sir.
-Jon
Hi Jon,
I’ve found that this is one of the most powerful aspects of online marketing – through your message, your story and your sharing, you will attract those that you wish to attract. It’s so much easier to find top quality people to relate with on the Net once you know where they hang out and how to attract them. That’s why I love online marketing.
Thanks for your insights, Jon. Great to see you here again.
Hi Dr. Bob,
Great post! The people who become successful in MLM are not the ones always looking to their sponsor for answers. They are the people who take the initiative to learn for themselves how to create leads and convert those leads into new team members.
I know when I am talking to a new prospect, I always try to ask questions which will give me hints to whether or not they are a driven person, willing to to do what it takes to succeed. Many times you can tell this just from one conversation. Not always though.
Time is something we are always trying to save and having team members that are completely dependent on you to do everything for them will waste a lot of it. Do yourself a favor and qualify your prospects before you turn them into team members.
Thanks for sharing Dr. Bob and have a great day!
I totally agree, Ian. I always try my best to find out my prospects motivations and expectations BEFORE they join. If I truly feel they would be wasting our time and THEIR money, I discourage them from moving forward. It might cost me some income but in the long run it keeps my sanity! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your insights, Ian.
Always great to see you here!
Bob, aloha. Well said, my friend. Entitlement in our industry and in society is a huge issue.
The only thing a new person is “entitled” to when they join a company is the right to market/rep the products/services and receive a commission for doing so. Period end of story.
Like you, Bob, I give people tests/assignments to see if they keep their commitments. Again, like you, Bob, far too often I found that the people who did not “turn in their homework” complained about the industry not working. Hellooooo. The industry works; you don’t!
People are promoted in their “day jobs” and given more opportunities, because they take action, follow through, keep commitments, show initiative, are accountable and responsible.
Our industry is no different from any other business. A person will be promoted and and given more opportunities, because they take action, follow through, keep commitments, show initiative, are accountable and responsible.
For the most part, Bob, I find how people “show up” in their day jobs and in life is how they show up for us as well. Or, as T. Harv Eker says, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
Best wishes for a great holiday weekend. Aloha. Janet
I love that Eker quote, Janet! “How you do anything is how you do everything.” It’s so true!
The sad fact is that only about 3% of people will actually rise above the rest and make enough money in MLM to change their lives. But there are things you can do to stack the deck in your favor, not the least of which is to commit to a solid gameplan with a good sponsor, and agree to take consistent effort for as long as it takes. For some, they may get discouraged and drop off.
It’s the ones who don’t quit and continue working towards their dreams that will succeed.
This is true in MLM, brick and mortar businesses, or in a day job. Only the most persistent rise to the top.
Thanks for your insights, Janet! Love seeing you here on our blog!
Bob, you just took the words out of my mouth. I am currently drafting a post on this very topic!
I have been seriously disappointed by some team members. They are all on fire, but once they hit a stumbling block, it’s game over and my fault! This by the way is despite the fact I equip them with at least 20 emails to guide them through plus a training site I spent months on creating… and 6 coaching calls to go over business plans.
I have to say, there are some who are self sufficient, but I guess its a numbers game. To me it has been a huge eye opener over the course of the last 3 years … I’ve had to swallow the hard pill and realize that so many people want you to do it for them. Its a shame.
Thanks for the post. Its needs to be said… and you said it perfectly.
Jayne
Hi Bob,
#2 is very effective and something that is lacking in most people. They just jump right off the fence and ask for help, even without putting the slightest effort to find it out themselves. I can say that the quality to try to resolve issues is something great.
I can give you a small example: You know I am earning via paid projects doing blog designing and especially thesis theme customizations. Where did I learn it? I faced millions of issues when I installed Thesis theme on my blog. For every challenge I jumped right in, folded my sleeve and sat together for hours, some sleepless nights too. I designed my site from scratch. I learned loads of stuff in the process and now I am offering what I learned as a service.
Cheers,
Jane.
Hi Jane,
Congratulations on rolling up your sleeves and taking action. It’s amazing to me how many people reach for the phone to scream for help, before even going to Google or YouTube to see if help already exists! In you case, I’m sure you visited forums and consulted with other resources as you built your site from scratch. That’s the way we learn — by doing!
Thanks for your insights, Jane… a pleasure to see you here again!
Hi Bob,
thanks for sharing your insights. You are right that a sponsor is responsible for his/her business. Success in this industry builds on other people’s success, otherwise it’s simply about recruiting or selling. So a good portion of the sponsor’s time should be dedicated in training and educating his or her team to independence. Of course, radiating a sense of independence or as you note self-sufficiencyis helpful to attract one’s sponsor’s attention.
Take care
Oliver
Hi Oliver,
You hit the nail right on the head when you said a sponsor should be teaching independence. If nothing else, if a sponsor can instill in his team a sense of independence and how to find answers by themselves, he has done them an invaluable service!
Thanks for your insights, too Oliver! Great to see you here again.
Awesome points, you’ve made, Bob. Taking action is the key to success. Thanks for writing this awesome article. Tweeted and submitted to Blokube.
Hi Dev… thanks for your kind words and support.
Action is definitely the key… nothing happens until you do. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t put it to use, it only takes up space in your brain! 🙂
Great to see you here again!
Great points you made, Bob! In fact, you could turn this into a little brochure to hand out to your new team members. I know of someone, I think her name is Paulette Ensign but I’m not sure, who created a business for herself by making these brochures and booklets and then selling them to network marketing organizations and other businesses.
Hey Jeanine,
Hmmm. now you have me thinking! 🙂
For my team, I do make this post required reading before they get started. I believe it’s better to have them know upfront what I’ll do for them — and what i won’t — if they come aboard and join our team.
Thanks for the kind words, Jeanine. Always great to see you smiling face!
Someone interested in MLM should definitely read this article. They will learn a lot from it.
Thanks, Catarina! I appreciate the support!
Hey Elena… great to see you here. It’s ALL about action, you’re right! And to not feeling that others should do things for you.
Stop by often…. don’t be a stranger. Thanks for stopping by.
Bob
Hi Terry… hey, we have 3 teenagers so we can totally relate. Entitlement is pervasive in our society, and MLM/Network Marketing is no exception. Good to be able to recognize it and stop before it becomes a habit!
Thanks for commenting.
Love this article Bob…Great Job!! This is a huge problem and it is hard for people to understand that it is their business!! Action is key.
I’m one of the “newbies” and this was great info for me. This entitlement problem is in so many aspects of life, just ask any parent of teenagers. :-0. Thanks for the article.
Hi Bryan,
I think most of us are like that in the beginning until we get our feet wet and start realizing how things really work. Thanks for sharing on your social networks!
Come back often!
Hi Lara,
Welcome to our online home… yes, this entitlement thing is annoying, right? I try now to train my new members right from the start about how to get more of my time. Not sure if it is working, but we’ll see.
Hey Ray… thanks, buddy. I find this entitlement issue pervasive throughout the industry. If my article helps just a couple of newbies to stop and think about how to get in their sponsor’s ear, well then I figured I’ve done a good service.
Thanks for visiting!
Great article, but it made me wonder if I was one of those when I started. I hope not. I just tweeted and FB’d to all my newbies. Thanks for the great content.
LOVE this!!! Totally agree with the entitlement issue as well as how to ask for help.
OK, seriously, more people need to read this. You really nailed this brother. Especially the entitlement thing.