Why some people succeed in network marketing and some don't
"The formula for success is quite simple: double your rate of failure."
–Thomas J. Watson, Sr. founder of IBM
Network marketing has some incredible success stories. We've all heard about huge incomes and the lifestyles that go with them, created seemingly overnight. The stories (most, anyway) are true. Some people really do achieve quick success in network marketing.
Just as true, and certainly more common, are the stories of success built not in a year but in five years or seven years or ten. For every overnight success there are probably fifty who make it just as big, just not as quickly.
But we also hear stories of failure. Lots and lots of failure. People who tried and didn't make it. Never earned a dime in their business. Or, about people who worked hard for five years and still earn only a few hundred dollars a month.What explains the difference? How can so many apparently similar people achieve such dissimilar results?
The answer is simple. The people who achieve more, do more. Yes, they may also have better skills than their lower-achieving counterparts, but the biggest difference between those who succeed and those who don't is the amount (and consistency) of their activity.
This should surprise no one. It's common sense. You do more and you get more. You do it more consistently, you get more consistent results. But if everyone knows it, why doesn't everyone do it?
It's because they have different philosophies.
Your philosophies are your beliefs, and your beliefs create your reality. We all have different beliefs about our products and services, about our company, about network marketing, and about ourselves, and what we believe is what we create. What you believe on the inside is what you create on the outside.
Here's how it works:
- Our philosophies (beliefs) create our attitudes
- Our attitudes affect our activities
- Our activities create our results
- And our results determine our lifestyle
It all starts with our philosophies. Let me give you some examples to prove the point. Here are two completely different philosophies:
1. "I can make some extra money in my business"
2. "I can make millions in my business"
Some people start their businesses believing they can earn millions. Can you see how that belief might affect their attitude towards things like investing money and time into their business? If you believe you can earn millions, you wouldn't question the idea of getting on the training calls, would you? Or ordering a good supply of tools? But someone who sees their business as a way to make an extra $500 a month might have a different attitude towards those things, don't you think?
Your beliefs are self-fulfilling. What you believe is what you create. If you believe you can earn a little, you activities will be consistent with that belief and you will earn a little.
Two more philosophies:
1. "I'll give it a try and see what happens"
2. "If other people have done it, I can do it, too"
One philosophy is grounded in doubt, the other in confidence. Which philosophy is more likely to lead to greater activity and better results?
Let's look at something a bit more complex. Here are two completely opposite philosophies:
1. "Failure is bad and should be avoided"
2. "Failure leads to success"
If you believe failure is bad and should be avoided, can you see how your attitude towards contacting prospects might be affected? When someone says "no" to you and you see that as a failure, what might you do? Well, if failure is bad and a "no" represents failure, you would probably do fewer exposures. And, as you got more noes you would do fewer and fewer exposures because you believe you need to avoid failure, until you weren't doing any exposures at all. No exposures, no noes, no failure. But also no success.
Now, contrast that with someone whose philosophy is that failure leads to success. This person understands that it's a numbers game. Expose more, get more. Get more noes and you get more yesses.
Legendary personal development trainer, Jim Rohn, says on his recording, Building Your Network Marketing Business, "You can get nine out of ten to sign up and I can get only one out of ten to sign up, but I can still beat you. How? You talk to to ten people and get nine, but I'll talk to 100 and get ten."
Rohn says, "You can make up in numbers what you lack in skill." That's a good philosophy. But some people have a different philosophy. They think, "I'm not as good as that other guy, so I can't get the results he's getting." Again, different philosophies leading to very different results.
The person who believes that "failure leads to success" also works on improving their skills, seeing each no as an opportunity to learn. "What could I do better," they will ask, "what could I change?" They will try different approaches, different tools, and target different markets, tracking their results to see what works best. They attend training, practice regularly, and seek the advice of others with more experience. Because they have a positive philosophy, they don't try to avoid failure, they see it as a stepping stone towards success.
Successful people have successful philosophies. Unsuccessful people don't. The good news is that anyone can change their philosophies. The best way to do that is through experience. The more you do, the better you get and the stronger your belief grows. In the beginning, though, most of us need a little help. That's the beauty of network marketing–you can have all the help you need by just showing up.
