Network Marketing Journey

Some time ago an article was published by Mike Dillard, a very well known networker in the industry. The article was about the abundance mentality in answer to a specific question.

Which Comes First–Personal Growth or Marketing?

His supposition says it is better to approach the marketing of your business first, then tackle personal growth. He wants you to market your business, talk with prospects and as a result see progress in business as well as a personal level. Combined with the successes and the flow of leads you are generating for yourself this would create a feeling of abundance and help to sustatin you through the ups and downs.

At the time, I agreed. My marketing efforts for YTB were at an all-time high. My travel related websites were getting several hundred hits each; per day, my forum was active with discussions and my squidoo lens ranked #200 overall.

While all of this was happening I was struggling to understand (sometimes to accept) all of the positives happening in my life. Being told you are a Marketing Master and Mentor at a time when you don’t think or feel the same way can be confusing…

On the surface I was the perfect example of his theory.

The feeling of abundance in life and business really does exist in those moments when everything is working and going forward. However, the ‘which comes first’ mentality is a sort of psych-up psychology or quick fix.

Rally the troops. Get them out in the field doing their marketing, and hope the rest comes out in the wash.

The truth is they happen simultaneously or neither happens at all. In order to succeed, feel abundance and manage to maintain a marketing campaign we need to make a committed, true decision. The focus, leadership and work ethic, which keeps us going and in the profit margin, are a function of personal growth and enlightened principles.

Where Do I Start?

First, you need to decide what you’re going to focus on. When you focus on something you give it power. Makes sense, right? If you are thinking of something that particular thought has your attention–so good, bad or indifferent … you have given it strength to go on.

You can decide to make OR break a business in a split second–with a single decision. Which one do you want to get behind?

By focusing on your decisions and making a committed effort to seeing it through you give them meaning in your life.

Secondly, start looking at who you have become. You already know who you want to be, so isn’t it about time to start drawing the map to get from Point A to Point Z, with all the stops in between? Only you know what you want from life but if you’re starting a home business you’ll know some things right from the start.

For instance, you automatically know which skills and experiences you already have–which ones do you need/want to acquire?

What about the Marketing?

Take action from day one.

While you are taking inventory on a personal level, you can begin to spread the word about your business. There was a time when parties and one-on-one discussions were the biggest and best way to build a network marketing business. However, that is no longer true.

These techniques still continue to work and many people do very well with these methods but the advent of the internet and creative thinking has brought many other ways to explore building a successful business.

The only ‘right way’ is the method which works for you.

I believe the key to having success is to always remain true to who you are. And if you are introverted that doesn’t mean forcing yourself to be the life of the party. Do what comes natural to you. This is why understanding yourself is just as critical as your marketing efforts themselves.

Tell people when you have the courage to speak and start a blog online where you can freely express your thoughts and opinions without feeling pressed to do so (This is how I started and yes, I’m also an introvert [Introverts make phenomenal Network Marketers]).

It doesn’t matter what you do (within legal parameters) as long as you are taking a step forward in telling others about your new venture.

Bringing Personal Development and Marketing Together

This blog and the articles within are often described by Network Marketing leaders as being Network Marketing related. I disagree. If you want to be something more than you are, you must grow. Without growth you will not move forward.

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we are at when we created them” -Albert Einstein

This is why I talk about personal development so much. Most of the people who get involved in networking do so because there is something burning within them–a need for change. But as Einstein so succinctly states, without changing your model you cannot change your circumstances.

Focus on seeing it through, digest all the information and knowledge you need along the way and take one step at a time towards establishing change.

Believe it or not, this is all you need to do in order to succeed in this industry. It doesn’t matter if you make it happen in a month, a year or five years–you define your future, you hold the key to your genius and only you can move forward when others quit.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!