Does Your Downline Have a Game Plan?

Its no secret that the actual success rate for new distributors (lets call "success" a distributor who is still in the business 3 years later and satisfied with their progress and results) in many network marketing companies is dismally low. Ten percent or so is not uncommon. With such a simple business, its reasonable to wonder why this is.

First of all, let us not confuse "simple" with "easy". Network marketing is work, and those lacking the determination and/or work ethic to put some serious effort into making their business successful are nearly always going to fail. (There is simple random luck of course, more on that later.) But what about the people who really take a run at it, invest significant time and effort, and still end up disenchanted and dropping out?

Often it is because they go into it without any sort of game plan for success. In my opinion, this is a failure primarily of their upline/
sponsor, who's job it is to train and support a new distributor and show them how to succeed. But too often this comes down to "Here, watch this DVD, make a list of everyone you know, call them up, set an appointment and let me know when you need my help."

A better way is to have a specific process you use to help your new distributors get off to a good start and experience some success in their first month or two. Network marketing guru Eric Worre calls this a Game Plan. Sitting down with your new recruits and making sure they have a plan for success, that they understand it, that it connects with their own hopes and aspirations and that they know exactly how to get started will go a long, long way toward making them successful and not another droppout. And isn't that what you, their sponsor, want? Their success?

What should a Game Plan address? Just a few basics may make all the difference.

1. Reinforce their decision to join the business.
2. Clarify exactly what their role and your role are going to be going
    forward.
3. Set realistic objectives for their first 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days in
    the business.
4. Map out, precisely, what they are going to need to commit to do in
    order to reach those goals and what you will - and won't - be
    doing to support them.
5. What their immediate next step is going to be, how and when
    they are going to get it done.
6. How they want you to support them when you see them starting to
    slip or backslide.

At the end of the day, it is entirely up to your new distributor how they are going to run their business. They don't work for you. But if you want to be successful yourself you need to maximize the chance that the people you bring in will be successful too. Having a clear, realistic plan for getting them a few wins quickly will go a long way toward keeping them out of the failure column. And remember, hope, luck and good intentions are not a plan.