The Real Reason You ‘Failed’ at Network Marketing

Have you ever been in network marketing but quit after a few months? Maybe even a few weeks?

If you haven’t, you probably know someone who has. But why did you quit? Why did you “fail?”

Fair warning: the real answers are probably not what you want to hear. We’re gonna talk some truth. We’re going to have some big boy and big girl talk. Mmmkay?

So, if you’re easily offended by straight talk, you might want to stop reading now. Maybe go sit in the corner and suck your thumb.

Those of you who are still with me, let’s get to it.

You Didn’t Treat it Like a Business

I have seen countless people come and go in my network marketing career, and the vast majority of them who “failed” didn’t treat it like a business. They never did, in fact.

This is so critical. Most people say they want their own home business that they can build on their terms and on their own time. People love the idea of being their own boss, but many treat it like a hobby.

Have you ever told yourself that you’ll “get to your business when you get time.” Or that you’ll “make it a priority as soon as life slows down a little?” That’s not how business owners think. Everyone has 24 hours in a day. What you do with those 24 hours is what matters. Thirty minutes is 2 percent of your day. If that’s all you have, then great. Just be consistent.

What I’ve found is that life is never going to just suddenly get out of your way. If you want something, you’re going to have to make the time to do it.

Here’s the deal: most people just don’t have the mindset of a business owner. And that’s OK. But bad thing is, they aren’t willing to develop the mindset of a business owner. That takes time. It takes training.

We’re trained from the time we are in kindergarten to do the work that’s give to us. We’re told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. It’s not easy to break out of that mindset.

It’s never easy to grow a significant and sustainable business. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it or that you’re not cut out for it. But if you treat your network marking business like a real business, you have to give it time to grow. You also have to give yourself time to grow as a business owner. Even if your business did grow very quickly, would you be ready for that fast growth? Would you be able to handle it?

People want instant results. They are impatient. I was this way. A lot of people will bow out at the first sign of struggle. Business owners, on the other had, use struggle to make them better. They grow from it.

You Didn’t Do the Things You Didn’t Want to Do

The idea of being your own boss sounds awesome, and it is if you develop the discipline. But being your own boss also means making yourself do the things you aren’t willing to do.

I’ve struggled with this a lot. I mean, after working a full-time job all day, coming home and spending some time with the family and helping kids with homework, it sounds nicer sometimes to just watch some TV instead of making some phone calls or doing some follow-ups to help grow my business.

No matter what kind of home business you have, there will always be times when you have to do the things you don’t want to do.

That what separates the posers from the pros.

You Weren’t Coachable

Network marketing is a team business. Yes, you are your own boss and you own your own business, but if you aren’t willing to learn from those better than you, well, you aren’t going to get very far.

In my experience, the people who make the most money are also the most coachable. They follow a system that they are taught and regularly reach out for coaching. As soon as anyone joins my team, I make sure they have my cell phone number and email so they can text, call or email me any time. Because I know that if they are taking action, they will have questions. The more questions, the better.

If you are in a situation where your more experienced team members or upline leaders aren’t very helpful, reach out to other leaders. Reach out for more corporate-provided training and coaching.

It’s your business, so take control of it.

You Quit

The only sure way to fail is to quit.

This is the biggest reason you “failed” at network marketing. You just quit.

I keep putting “failed” in quotes because you can’t see me making the quote sign with my fingers. You didn’t really fail. You just didn’t do many of the things you needed to do. You lost your consistency when the excitement faded. And then you quit.

If you’re serious about growing a business, you’ll give it at least a year to grow. And that might not even be enough time. Because like said, you not only have to give your business time to grow, you also have to give yourself time to grow as a business owner.

I never mean to offend anyone, but if this post made you a little mad, that might be a good thing. Maybe you still have that entrepreneur spirit in you.

There are a lot of other reasons people fail at network marketing.  Some other good resources on this topic are 30 Reasons People Fail at Network Marketing and Ray Higdon’s post on How to Fail at Network Marketing.