What makes a great network marketing company

If you want to be successful in network marketing, it's important to have a strong company behind you. Your company should have key characteristics, known as the "five pillars."

The first pillar is company management with experience and integrity. Google the company president to find out more information about the one leading your company. Read your company's policies and procedures.

The second pillar is timing in the company and the industry. You don't want to be in a brand new company. It's best if the company has been up and running for at least two years.

The third pillar is a product that lasts a lifetime. The number one mistake people make is they think they have to love the product. You don't have to love the product. The product just has to be remarkable. Find a product that people are screaming for and fall in love with it. You don't have to research every little tidbit of information. Most MLM companies have great products. It's easier to sell what people want. Ask yourself if it's a product that people would buy even if there wasn't a business opportunity attached.

The fourth pillar is a compensation plan that pays the part-time person. Most reps will only work part-time, at least initially. The key is to find a compensation plan that pays the most with the least amount of people. Find out how many distributors you need to make $10,000 a month.

The fifth pillar is to have a proven system that duplicates when you quit. Run if your upline tells you to buy leads or to make a list of your friends and family. That does not duplicate.

I found just such a system. It teaches you how to fish rather than giving you a fish. It teaches the skills necessary for success.

My friend and personal mentor, Michael Dlouhy, made a video for me explaining the five pillars.



Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me the importance of having a "five pillars" company.

Straight from the source

I spent the last 20-plus years as a journalist. I've written hundreds of news stories. One thing I learned is that if you want to get the best information, you need to go directly to the source. Someone at a speech can tell you what they think the speaker was trying to say, but you have to go straight to the source for the direct information.

I've written often about the book, "Success in 10 Steps," that changed my network marketing career. When I read that book, I felt like the author, Michael Dlouhy, had written it just for me. It was as if he had been monitoring everything I did and knew exactly why I had been failing.

The book changed my life. It showed me that my failure was not my fault. It saved me from years of frustration.

Now Michael Dlouhy himself can tell you why he wrote "Success in 10 Steps," and why he freely devotes his time to helping people in any network marketing company succeed.



Click here to get your free copy of "Success in 10 Steps."

Steve DeVane
This link will take you to information about Mentoring for Free, the MLM system based on "Success in 10 Steps."

Choose your own adventure

A few weeks ago, I bought a box of Louis L'Amour western novels. He's one of my favorite authors, and I was happy to find several of his books that I had not yet read. In the box were several books by other authors.

As I was looking through them, I noticed one from a series of books called, "Choose Your Own Adventure." I had never heard of the series, so I took a closer look.

The cover said there were multiple endings to a story that put the reader in the old west. I showed it to my son, who took an interest when I started reading him sections and asking him which choices to make. We had a good time as he talked about each decision as we progressed through the book. When we finished, we started over making different choices as we went.

Today, my wife and kids went to the library. My son excitedly showed me that he had found three more "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. One book about space has 44 possible endings. In another, the reader is on "the planet of curiosity. It has 15 exciting endings. A deep sea adventure has 42 possible endings.

My son has already read two of them. He told me about some of the choices he had to make along the way.

Sensing one of those elusive "teachable moments," I said something like, "You know, it's the same way in life. We make choices that determine our future."

As I thought about my life, I see I've made good and bad choices. I can't do anything about the decisions I've made in the past, but I can focus on choosing the best path forward from here.

In his book, "Think and Grow Rich," Napoleon Hill devotes an entire chapter to decision. He says successful people make decisions quickly and are slow to change from that course. In effect, those who decide succeed. Those who don't decide fail. Those who know what they want, get it.

Forget the mistakes you've made in the past, but remember the lessons you learned. Decide what you want and go after it with a burning desire. Persist until you get it.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me how to make better decisions.

Leading with certainty

Several years back, I went through a leadership training course with about 12 other people, mostly ministers. It was a valuable experience. I learned a lot about myself and why I think and act the way I do.

One of the things I learned was there are different types of leaders. One of the instructors said that sometimes the best leader is the one who says, "We're not ready to take that hill yet."

So how can you spot a leader? Let's get specific about what it takes for you to be looked at as a leader.

You must offer a clear-cut path in a single direction. If you give choices, people get into a debate inside their own mind over which is best. They've convinced themselves, often without even realizing it, that they just don't have the ability to make a good choice. So nothing will happen. The way their thinking goes, they don't know how to get to where they want to be. They will be totally happy following, so long as you grab the lead. Just tell them exactly what they must do. That gives them a clear choice to follow you or not.

For people to follow you, you must have chosen a path in which you have very strong belief. You need total certainty, because any doubt in your voice or in your actions comes through loud and clear to everyone who is looking at you. If you demonstrate the single-minded will to lead in one definite direction, then you have a real opportunity to gather followers. But if you are dispersed and can't focus, then people will keep on looking for a leader.

No leader can force anyone to do anything for very long. Your team must want to follow you, or it will all fall apart. You promise very specific results, and you spotlight a step-by-step plan to achieve them. You do everything in your power to make it as easy as possible for each team member to walk (or run) their chosen path. Every time you truly inspire your people, they subscribe to your plan and commit to their assigned roles - because by doing so, they move closer to achieving what THEY want.

Steve DeVane
This free mentoring program taught me about leadership

Overcoming fears on the path to success

Earlier tonight, I was reading Steve Pavlina's personal development blog about switching to a 100 percent raw diet. I admire his commitment and the general reasoning behind his move. Two sentences in a section on dealing with social issues struck me.

"Every time you stretch beyond the social conditioning, risking the rejection of your peers, you simultaneously serve as a powerful example to them," he said. "You help other people awaken to the knowledge that they can exceed their current performance levels."

This not only applies to changing your diet, it fits perfectly into how we promote our network marketing business. Let's be honest, MLM doesn't have the best of reputations.

Some folks have the wrong idea that it's some kind of illegal pyramid scheme. Other people have been burned by MLMers who pressured them to buy unneeded products or resources. Some distributors have wrongly thought that the way to make their company look good was to make other network marketing companies look bad.

I believe we can turn that around. By presenting a positive perspective and telling the truth about our companies and our products, we'll peel back the layers of disinformation and dishonesty.

I know that I have often been needlessly concerned about what people would think about me being a network marketer. To paraphrase Pavlina, by stretching beyond my social conditioning and risking the rejection of my peers, I serve as a powerful example to them.

Moreover, with that risk comes reward — self-confidence. Since, I've been involved with this mentoring system I've grown as a network marketer and as a person.

This reminded me of a quote one of my coaches once told me. The quote has been wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela, but it's actually from a book called A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Overcome your fears and help liberate others.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me overcome my fears.

Success is team effort

I got home a short while ago from my daughter's softball game. We won, 5-0, defeating the #1 team in the state.

After the game, I was talking with one of the coaches about how well our girls had played. I told her that I thought our defense was the difference.

She didn't disagree, but added that it was more than just defense. Our girls played as a team.

As I thought back on the game, I saw that she was right.

When there was a play at first, our right-fielder was hustling over behind the first baseman to back up the throw. (I might add that she was doing a great job of it and not just because she's my daughter.)

When a member of the other team bunted, all our infielders yelled, "Bunt!" Everyone knew just where to go. Our first and third basemen charged toward the batter, while our second baseman ran over to cover first. It was smooth, clean — like clockwork.

When one of our players was at bat, other players were yelling encouragement. In the field, everyone was talking to each other, letting each other know the number of outs and where the next play was to be made.

Isn't this a lot like our business and a lot like life.

Success in business comes much easier to those supported by a team. When we share our gifts, it's to everyone's betterment.

It's good to know that when you're trying to get somewhere, someone is there backing you up.

What a great feeling to know that others who have taken the road to success are willing to show you the way.

How wonderful to hear encouragement from others that you can be successful, that they believe in you.

I'm thrilled to say I've found just such a team. If you'd like to know more, go to this link. Your teammates are waiting for you.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me learn the value of teamwork.

On track to success

I heard a story the other day about two owners of horse-racing stables. Seems the two had been heated rivals for years.

One of the two had the idea to hire a professional jockey to ride one of his horses in a big race. When the race started it was clear the horses from the two stables were far superior to any other horses in the race. They opened a huge lead over all the other horses.

As they neared the finish line the two horses hit each other, knocking both jockeys to the ground. The professional jockey got his wits about him quickly, climbed in the saddle and raced to the finish. When he got to the winner's circle, his boss was furious. The jockey looked puzzled and said, "Why are you mad? I won."

The owner said, "Yes, you won, but you're on the wrong horse."

That's the way it is sometimes in network marketing. We can't reach success because we're on the wrong horse.

Sometimes, that horse is our company. If the company doesn't have integrity or other key characteristics, we'll get tossed off before we reach our goals.

Sometimes that horse is our training. If we're taught the wrong things to do, it doesn't matter how well we do them. Some strategies just don't work.

Sometimes that horse is our friends and family. If we listen to negative thinkers who are constantly dragging us down, it's like running with concrete blocks tied to our feet.

Sometimes that horse is our own "go-it-alone" attitude. It's kind of like the dog in this video. The dog is chewing on a bone and sees his own back paw approaching. The dog thinks it's leg is another dog, growls at it and eventually bites it. No one can succeed in network marketing without a team.

The key is to find a proven system that works for anyone. That system needs excellent training, great teamwork and positive reinforcement.

Find a system that works for you, and you'll be much closer to the finish line of success.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book put me on track to success.

The power of passion

I was in a forum on a web site for piano players when one of the participants asked how other people felt about being called "gifted." The person took some offense at the description, thinking it failed to acknowledge the amount of practice it takes to play the piano well.

The discussion brought to mind my early years taking piano lessons. I was a student of what was then called the "lab method." There were six students in rows of two. The teacher was at the front of the class. She had her own piano and could listen to any of us with headphones at any time.

The first couple of years, I was easily the best student in my class. I enjoyed being the "star student." About the third year, the teacher decided to put all her best students in one class. I went from being the best to the middle of the pack.

The teacher thought that the class would cause us each to push each other to become better. It had the opposite effect on me.

All this got me thinking about passion. In our network marketing business, having a burning desire is one of the keys to success.

One of the things I learned from the training I've received in this system is the importance of coming to grips with the reason we're in business. We can have to determine our driving force.

If that force is only driving you at 50 percent power, then you'll be stuck if you come against an obstacle that 51 percent or stronger.

That's why you have to search deep within yourself to decide why you want to succeed. Figure out why you're in this business.

About a year after joining the class of top piano students, I quit. The teacher told me that one day I'd regret it. Of course she was right, but I didn't listen.

I had some talent, but I didn't have the desire to be the best of the best. At least not at the time. It's a lesson I'm still learning.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me understand why I'm a network marketer.

Video about my favorite book

About six months ago, I was sent a free e-book that has changed my life. The book was written by Michael Dlouhy, who has since become my good friend and a personal mentor.

When I read the book, "Success in 10 Steps," it seemed as though Michael was writing it to me. It was like he knew everything that had happened to me in my network marketing career. He couldn't have described it any better if I had told him all about it myself.

The book was an amazingly easy read. I had finished it within 24 hours of downloading it.

Since then, I've learned why I was failing and why it wasn't my fault. I made a video that explains it more. Take a look.

Thanks.

Steve