Between the stack of papers you need to sort through, the phone calls you need to return, and the planner you lost somewhere in the living room, you know that you need to get organized. Fast. You're losing sales, missing opportunities, and you're longing to take your network marketing business with you on the road, allowing you even more freedom and the opportunity to create more wealth than by staying at home.
Being disorganized costs money and valuable time. Many people consider ?getting organized? as a personal development luxury- they'll get to it when they find some time. They know it's important, but well, there's so much other stuff to do first. Sound familiar?
Well, chances are high that it'll be years before you find the time to get organized! You have to MAKE time to get organized. If you don't, you'll always find better things to do (like cloud-watching with your toddler, or that ever-so-alluring sports game to watch?)
There are many, many benefits to being organized. When your mind is clear and focused you can spend your time creating wealth and pursuing personal development, rather than chasing after lost papers or franticly rushing to appointments. You work smarter, not harder, and end up making more money and empowering others as a result. When your network marketing business is streamlined, you're more effective, simple as that.
If you're looking to get organized so you can work out on the road and live a life without limits, where do you even start? The first thing you need to do is organize your home office. You need to go through and, don't groan here, sort ALL the paperwork. And yes, this includes the stack that is shoved in the corner, on the floor, which has been sitting there for more than six months. You need to decide what you need to keep and what can be shredded or recycled.
Why do you need to do this? Because if you want a network marketing business that is lean, mean, and streamlined so you can pick up and go, any time, then you must start with your home base. Only then will you know what you'll need to take with you.
So, start sorting. It's best not to tackle your entire office at once. Paperwork is tedious and draining to go through, so break it up into one-hour chunks and take frequent breaks.
You'll need to start out by making four piles with your paperwork. One will be your Very Important pile. This is for stuff you need right now, or on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This is the stuff you can't lose.
The next pile is going to be for Archives. This is for paperwork that you need to keep, such as tax information, marketing ideas, and past client files, but you don't need it regularly.
You're also going to make a Shred pile, for anything with sensitive information that needs to be gotten rid of safely, and then a Recycle pile, for regular paperwork that you don't need anymore.
Now that you know what all that paperwork is you can get it filed. Create file headings that you'll remember easier. For example, instead of saying ?Print media? you can say ?Newspapers?. See the difference? By creating files using the first word that would normally come to mind to describe something, like ?Money Making? instead of ?Investments?, you can file your business paperwork in a way that will enable you to find it fast and easy.
Once you know what paperwork you have left that's important you can decide what you'll need to take with you on a daily basis. Many office supply stores sell hand-held, portable filing bins that fit great in your front seat. If you have client files or articles you'd like to take with to read, this can be filed and then put in your car so you stay organized.
Now that your home office is rarin? to go, you need to take your network marketing business to the next level. This means having the tools you need to hit the road.
One of the best ways to stay organized is by having a PDA (personal digital assistant) and/or lap top. PDA's have excellent planning capabilities, and depending on how tech you want to go, can also offer you the option of checking email and surfing the ?Net while you're out of the office. They also allow you to store an extensive list of client contact information, and they're worth their weight in gold because you can set alarms for appointments. For those of you who are chronically late, this feature will be invaluable. Promise.
Being organized will enable you to work more efficiently than you are right now, and will allow you the time and tools that are necessary for taking your network marketing business to the next level. Organization actually allows you to live your life without limits because you're no longer living reactively. You have the power and inspiration to move forward with confidence, and this will show in your business relationships.
Being organized will also allow you to create wealth at a faster rate than you can if you're disorganized. Instead of your network marketing business ?dragging you down? because you're always struggling to catch up, organization will give you the opportunity to live the life you've always dreamed of. Your self-confidence and efficiency will show up in your sales, and you'll have more time to help and inspire others who need you.
Building Your Network Marketing Business
Who "owns" your team of independent contractors, your MLM army of volunteers? Your downline belongs TO YOU first, not the company you rep for. Some would consider these comments heresy. It's a complicated idea fraught with all sorts of potential landmines, like; "What if my downline decides it doesn't 'belong' to me? Does this kind of thinking lead to chaos in my organization?"
At some point in one's career in MLM, one realizes that one has taken on full-responsibility for one's future. Business ownership is more than just a way to get tax-breaks. Leadership is more than encouraging higher volumes or giving out awards and holding rah-rah meetings. Leadership becomes setting a direction for your organization that matches your business vision and philosophy. It may mean acting independently of your vendor, (but within the framework and contractual obligations you have with your vendor when you enrolled). Your decisions and your direction are geared for the overall health and longevity of the team, not your personal convenience.
Early in my network marketing career, my leadership style was more like a "boss" than a mentor. I saw myself only as a rep for the company "in charge" of other reps. I allowed the company to set my agenda and depended on the company for motivation. When the company started making poor business decisions, and the uniqueness of the product was lost and became a commodity, I realized that I needed to make a change. However, I had tied my organization to the company more than me. So when I came to my current company only 3 wanted to follow. Lesson learned.
I'm keenly aware that in MLM our incomes are intertwined with each other. Those who have built huge (10,000+ organizations) perceive themselves, rightly I believe, as independent marketing organizations that are in a joint venture with a given vendor until such time as it is no longer a mutually beneficial to them or their organization. The best of them treat their top leaders as a "Board of Directors" who participates in choosing the direction and policies of the organization at large. It's a type of consensus management.
Do not take my comments as advocating company-jumping. I think "company-jumping" and frequent system changes is unethical and irresponsible. But there are times when it is a sound business decision. If the market share and product mix in my company was not keeping up with trends, or they were showing poor management, or bad ethical choices, I'd read the writing on the wall and take my business and downline else where!
If you are a downline, you need to respect your upline. You do this because your downline needs to respect your leadership. If you don't like your immediate upline, or they are a poor leader, then go around them to your upline's upline. Provide solid leadership for your team. Work with your vendor and your upline to create a successful system and joint venture.
Do I ever intend to leave my company? No. But before it was purchased by its current owner, I started reading between the management lines and knew that something wasn't right, and I started investigating other options for myself and my team. I will not allow myself, nor by extension my team, to be left hanging because some corporation decides to close its MLM doors.
When you join a network marketing company, you don't join the corporation itself; you join a marketing team affiliated with the corporation. It's a partnership, not a marriage. Responsible senior leadership in network marketing must be able to see beyond the company/vendor. You must be able to set a successful direction for your team. To me, that's part of leadership and leverage.
Both Lynette Chartier & Karen Hurd are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lynette Chartier has sinced written about articles on various topics from Network Marketing, Home Management and Network Marketing. Lynette Chartier, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Lynette. Lynette Chartier's top article generates over 33100 views. Bookmark Lynette Chartier to your Favourites.
Karen Hurd has sinced written about articles on various topics from Network Marketing, Adsense Click Fraud and Start Online Business. Karen Hurd has been a full-time network marketersince 1988. Changing lives is her passion. She is a writer,teacher and wellness educator. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband and 5 children.For more online marketing training visit Karen's site. Karen Hurd's top article generates over 201000 views. Bookmark Karen Hurd to your Favourites.
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