It's been quite some time since I last posted to Magic in Motion blog. I'm not going to bore you with reasons for not posting. Instead I'm going to share what I've learned during my absence from the blog and my plans for the future.
Over the past few months, I've learned a lot about
Ardyss, network marketing...and myself.
Network marketing is not new to me...Ardyss is my fourth multi-level marketing (MLM) company. And dare I say it, FOUR is a charm! Ardyss is my
personal four leaf clover! I can go on and on about the
10 ways to make money in this business, how many people I know who are making 4-5 figures a month in the business. But I won't. What I will share is this: I invested more time, energy and money into my other 3 businesses than I have in Ardyss, yet I've made more money than the other three combined and have a more active downline!
How? Well, I can say that Ardyss garments and nutritional items basically sell themselves. But that's not the only reason. What I've come to better understand and appreciate is the value of building and nurturing relationships and how I think impacts how I do what I do.
Because I had very little success in network marketing in the past. I participated in the weekly conference calls, went to the meetings, I invested in my business, but my checks were light and I had a hard time recruiting. I did not have a hard time selling my businesses' products though. Thing is, I put too much emphasis on selling and not on building on the relationships I established. Instead of building a business, I was too busy doing the job of an employee, which is selling.
Since joining Ardyss, I have tapped into a network of business builders who have been teaching me how business building is based primarily on establishing and nututing relationships and partnering and coaching other leaders.
What does relationships have to do with it all? Let's look at how fundraisers work, as an example. How many times have you bought something to support a child's school drive or contributed to a charity because someone was walking, biking, running several miles on behalf of it? Think about it...would you have given to that school or that charity if someone you knew didn't approach you with the opportunity? Probably not and if so, probably not as much as you contributed on behalf of the people who asked you.
You did it because of your relationship with them.
Why do you continue to see the same doctor, get your hair styled by the same hairdresser, go to the same auto mechanic, prefer some clothing stores over others? Why do you refer people to them? Probably the quality of the product or service they provide AND the customer service that they each offer.
These business owners are building and nuturing their relationships with you, whether they know it or not.
In a nutshell, that's how successful business owners do well - nurturing relationships and providing good customer service. Sure, anyone can hand out business cards and links to websites and to draw you in. What I've come to learn is that product and service is only part of the equation. People can buy jewelry or lotions and potions from anywhere and anyone. But what keeps people coming back to
you? Trust me, it's not just the products or services.
In my past network marketing businesses, I tried to
sell people on both the products/services and the compensation plan, in attempts to bring them into the businesses. That didn't work out so well. Sure, some folks jumped at an opportunity to make a couple of dollars but did not realize that it takes a commitment of time, energy and some money to build and establish a business. I thought it was easy because it was easy to buy my "franchise" into each of the businesses and thought that such ease would draw others into it. But people commit when they believe that something will satisfy their needs and that includes the need for moral support and leadership. I didn't consider the want & needs of my business partners, thus I failed to retain any over the long haul.
When I first started my multi-level businesses, I saw potential in making money. What I did not seriously consider was the
reason I wanted to commit to building a business. When I joined Ardyss, I was asked
to write why I wanted to start my business. That was quite a departure from my past experiences. To be honest, I thought I was being interviewed. Come to find out, my thoughts were sorta correct. After all, I was about to become my sponsor's business partner. As such, she was prepared to train me, to coach me and to provide leadership. That's an investment of her time, resources and talents. She was prepared to provide me with an opportunity and asked for my commitment over the long term. Mind you, she never said these things to me but I've come to learn all of this as she and others trained and coached me.
My takeaway: time, talent and resources are scarce, thus valuable. Thus it is not my goal to sell this business or the products offered by Ardyss to anyone anymore. Rather, I aim to provide people with
three opportunities: the opportunity to reshape their bodies, restore their health and realize their financial goals. If any or all of the opportunities I present to them meet their goals. It's also up to me to provide them with great customer service, build upon the relationships that we've established to help them reach their health, wellness and financial goals and commit my time, talents and resources to train, coach and lead to the best of my abilities.
Notice the new bottles! So instead of having a shape like a Coca Cola bottle...we can now say that wh have the shape of a LeVive bottle!
